Perception and practice of self-medication with antibiotics among medical students in Sudanese universities: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 1; p. e0263067
• Main Authors: Elmahi, Osman Kamal Osman, Musa, Reem Abdalla Elsiddig, Shareef, Ahd Alaaeldin Hussain, Omer, Mohammed Eltahier Abdalla, Elmahi, Mugahid Awad Mohamed, Altamih, Randa Ahmed Abdalrheem, Mohamed, Rayan Ibrahim Hamid, Alsadig, Tagwa Faisal Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 26-01-2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Attitudes; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Biology and Life Sciences; Chi-square test; Colleges & universities; Cough; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developing countries; Dosage and administration; Drug resistance; Drugs; Health aspects; Health insurance; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health risks; Health sciences; Humans; Infections; Knowledge; LDCs; Legislation; Male; Medical students; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Mortality; Nosocomial infections; People and Places; Perception; Pilot Projects; Population; Prevention; Questionnaires; Respiratory tract; Respiratory tract diseases; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Self Medication; Self-care, Health; Social Sciences; Sociodemographics; Statistical analysis; Strains (organisms); Students; Students, Medical; Sudan; Universities; Sudan; Khartoum Sudan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263067

The benefits of antibiotics are under threat by self-medication, which culminated in economic burdening of developing countries, treatment failures, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and an increased probability of exposure and infection of the general population by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical students in Sudan towards the use of antibiotics, the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among medical students in Sudan and to identify risk factors which promote self-medication with antibiotics.
This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and institution-based study, between November 2020 and May 2021. 1,110 medical students were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of self-medication with antibiotics among the study participants.
The median knowledge score was 7 out of a maximum of 10 (IQR: 5-8). A moderately positive attitude was observed among the participants (Median: 7/10; IQR: 6-8). Knowledge and attitude scores were significantly associated with academic year and monthly allowance (p < 0.05). 675 (60.8%) self-medicated with antibiotics within the previous 12 months, mostly from community pharmacies (321/675; 47.5%). Antibiotics were most commonly used to treat respiratory tract infections (38.1%) and cough (30.4%). Chi-square analysis demonstrated that self-medication with antibiotics was significantly associated with gender, year of study and monthly income.
Undergraduate medical students had moderate knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance, and an alarmingly high prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics. This highlights the urgent need for tighter legislation regarding the sales of antibiotics in community pharmacies by the state and federal health ministries.