Influence of leftover antibiotics on self-medication in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is increasing at an alarming rate. The use of antibiotics without a prescription by  a patient or other family members and their inappropriate storage have caused serious health issues as it would lead to antibiotic resistance and exposure to risk of harmful adverse effects unnecessarily. Exploring causes behind their storage in homes and reuse will help us identify the problem in depth and help in recommending effective solutions. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Our target study population was the residents of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by an online questionnaire and analysed by SPSS. Results: A total of 738 participants answered the online questionnaire, from all ages, genders, nationalities, and different socioeconomic backgrounds residing in different regions across the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 76.42% knew that an antibiotic is a chemical substance used to treat infections. The participants were questioned about when do they start using antibiotics, to which 95.66% (n=706) responded, after consulting a physician, 3.25% (n=24) said when they felt ill for any reason, and 1.08% (n=8) replied after first attempting herbal medicine. 147 participants admitted that they store excess pills of antibiotics after being prescribed for an infection and re-use them later on for symptoms like sore throat and fever. Conclusions: Although strict measures have been put into effect from the Saudi Ministry of Health to reduce antimicrobial resistance caused by misuse of antibiotics by restricting the dispense of antibiotics from pharmacies without a medical prescription, a large portion of the population regardless of age, level of education, or professional background, have continued to store excess pills of antibiotics after an infection treatment and re-use them once they think they need them for new symptoms. This advises for further revision of the current measures to fill those gaps and reduce this habit.