PATTERNS OF ANTIBIOTIC USE AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL BY INHABITANTS OF A NEIGHBORHOOD IN A CITY IN NORTHERN COLOMBIA

Abstract

Awareness about the problem of bacterial resistance has been increasing, but there are situations that still occur, such as prescribing antibiotics without laboratory tests at hand to ensure that it is an infection caused by bacteria. In addition, there are patients who pressure the doctor to prescribe antibiotics, thinking that they will receive quick relief from the symptoms without considering the cause of the disease. Indiscriminate use of these drugs has caused serious public health difficulties in Colombia. The objective of this study was to characterize the use of antibiotics at the community level by the inhabitants of the Nuevo Majagual neighborhood in Sincelejo-Sucre in 2022. This study had an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and nonexperimental design. To do this, a questionnaire was administered to 200 adults, inhabitants of the Nuevo Majagual neighborhood of the city of Sincelejo-Sucre. Among the most relevant results, it is worth mentioning that 68.5% of those surveyed acknowledged self-medication in the said period, despite the fact that 97% of those surveyed claimed to believe that this practice is a health risk. Furthermore, 46.5% of those who reported having self-medicated justified that they had done so because “the illness was not serious” while 12.5% said it was “due to lack of time to see a doctor,” and the rest for other reasons. The complaints that most motivated this practice were fever (32%), sore throat (11.5%), general malaise (11.5%), flu (6%), headache (3.5%), skin conditions (3%), cough and diarrhea (1%), and 30.5 say they do not self-medicate. The main place where they went to purchase non-prescription medications was health establishments (61.5%), followed by pharmacies (27%). On the other hand, 60% of those who self-medicated claimed to know the unfavorable effects of medications they have consumed without prescriptions. In summary, self-medication is a recurrent practice in the population studied.