Physicians' irrational attitudes on the antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of COVID-19 in Turkey: A multicenter survey.
BMC Health Serv Res
; 24(1): 650, 2024 May 21.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38773553
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The inappropriate and excessive use of antibiotics during the coronavirus pandemic has become an important issue.OBJECTIVE:
Our primary aim is to ascertain the attitudes of physicians toward the antibiotics prescribing for the treatment of COVID-19 in Turkey. Our secondary aim was to identify factors affecting to physicians' decisions regarding antibiotic therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 and risk factors associated with antibiotic overprescribing.METHODS:
It was a multicenter cross-sectional survey. Physicians from 63 different cities were invited to survey through social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp). Data were collected from respondents through an online questionnaires during November-December 2021.RESULTS:
The survey was completed by 571 participants from 63 cities. Pulmonologists comprised the majority (35.20%), followed by internal medical specialists (27.85%) and general practitioners (23.29%). The rates of participants who started empirical antibiotics in the outpatient, ward, and ICU (intensive care unit) were 70.2%, 85.5%, and 74.6%, respectively. When the practice of prescribing antibiotics by physicians for the treatment of COVID-19 in outpatients was compared according to the healthcare setting (primary, secondary, tertiary care hospitals) no significant difference was found. Sputum purulence (68.2%) was recognized as the most important factor for the decision of antibiotic therapy, followed by procalcitonin levels (64.9%) and abnormal radiological findings (50.3%). The most prescribed antibiotics were respiratory quinolones. (48%, 65.9%, 62.7% outpatient, ward, ICU respectively)CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, we found that physicians frequently had irrational attitudes toward antibiotic prescription to COVID-19 patients, including those with minor diseases. Our findings underline that the necessity of particular, workable interventions to guarantee the prudent use of antibiotics in COVID-19.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Padrões de Prática Médica
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Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde
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COVID-19
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Antibacterianos
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article