Understanding antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance: A cross-sectional study among outpatients in Greek primary health care.

BACKGROUND

Antibiotics are crucial for treating bacterial illnesses; however, overuse and abuse of these drugs, together with improper consumption, have led to selection pressure and the rise of resistant bacteria.

AIM: To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of outpatients in a healthcare setting regarding antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance.

METHODS

This exploratory survey was conducted among 120 outpatients visiting a public primary healthcare setting in Greece, from February to March 2024. Data were collected via a 38-item self-administered questionnaire covering three domains: antimicrobial resistance (AMR) knowledge, antibiotic knowledge, and consumption practices. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (ver.29), employing Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests to identify demographic correlates (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

A total of 120 individuals participated in the study, 72 of whom were women (60.0%); 37.5% resided in an urban center, and 30.8% were lyceum graduates. Most of the sample knew that AMR signifies resistance of microbes to antibiotics (75.0%), that it constitutes a significant public health problem in the country (70.0%), and that it is due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans (67.5%). 74.2% disagreed with stopping antibiotic treatment earlier, while 40.0% of respondents stated that taking antibiotics is only useful for fighting bacterial infections. 27.5% thought antibiotics were necessary for viral illnesses with fever, and 35.8% thought they speed up recovery from a cold. Remarkably, 52.5% of respondents acknowledged keeping antibiotics for later use, and 56.7% reported using non-prescription antibiotics in the past. Antibiotic knowledge scores were statistically significantly higher for women and people living in urban and semi-urban areas (p < 0.05). People with less education knew less about antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, and antibiotic consumption practices (p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Although primary health care recipients demonstrate a generally satisfactory awareness of antimicrobial resistance, significant knowledge gaps and misconceptions about antibiotics persist, leading to inappropriate antibiotic use practices.