Evaluation of non-prescribed antibiotic use among children with upper respiratory tract infection

The effectiveness of the antibiotics in the community and the risk of resistance may be influenced by how they are used by the patient. The aim of the present study is to determine the extent of nonprescribed antibiotic use by mothers of children who had upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) between the ages of 1 month and 9 years. The study was community-based, cross-sectional survey questionnaires in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from January 2011 to March 2011. The study included 209 mothers, 95.2% completed the questionnaire. The results revealed that 79.4% of the mothers preferred seeking medical advice for symptoms of URTIs in their children and 16.1% used non-prescribed antibiotic. The most commonly used non-prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin/clavulinc acid (31.2%) and azithromycin (27.6%). Most mothers (69.3%) had negative impressions about antibiotic use which was attributed to their fear of potential side effects and the effect of antibiotics in decreasing child’s natural immunity.Mothers’ educational level positively correlated with knowledge of appropriate use of antibiotics. In conclusion, antibiotic misuse for pediatric URTIs was found to be a problematic situation influenced by low knowledge and easy availability of these drugs. Educational intervention and effective communication between physicians and parents should be encouraged.