The level of knowledge, attitude and practice on antibiotics among selected community pharmacists and its possible contribution to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Manila, Philippines

Abstract

Antibiotics offer lifesaving benefits and definitive treatments for infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. However, their efficacy has significantly decreased with the occurrence of antibiotic resistance due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Thus, the study aims to determine the possible contribution of community pharmacists to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Manila City by investigating their socio-demographic profile and their level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding antibiotic use. This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a pre-validated questionnaire to identify the socio-demographic and level of KAP of 150 respondents who were selected through convenience sampling. Notably, 119 (79.3%) of the respondents were female, and 82 (54.7%) out of 150 community pharmacists belong to the age group 30 and below. The majority of 146 (97.3%) respondents have Bachelor’s degrees, and 66 (44%) respondents had been in practice for less than or equal to five years. Statistical results showed that the respondents have sufficient knowledge with a total mean score of 8.18, high confidence with a mean rating for attitude of 4.79, and good practice with a mean rating of 4.52 regarding antibiotic use. Age, Gender, and Years of practice (p>0.05) were found to be correlated with their KAP level. However, the respondents’ highest educational attainment did not significantly affect practice. Overall, there is a significant correlation between the majority of socio-demographic and the respondent's level of KAP. In contrast, there is no significant relationship between the respondents' KAP as a whole. This study implies that there is only a low contribution of community pharmacists’ knowledge, attitude, and practice to antibiotic resistance in Manila City.