عفونت تنفسی فوقانی کودکان و مصرف آنتی بیوتیک: بررسی آگاهی، نگرش وعملکرد والدین

Introduction & Objective: Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health issue because of antibioticresistant
pathogens is increasing. One of the most important factors in the spread of antibiotic resistance is
excessive use of antibiotics. Upper respiratory infections are one of the most common antibiotic prescription
in the children, while mostly upper respiratory infections are viral origin.Antibiotic prescription are affected
by knowledge, attitudes, and pressure from parents. The purpose of this study was to assess parental
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on antibiotic use for children with Upper respiratory tract infections
(URTIs) in Hamadan.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Hamadan to assess
parents’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) concerning the role of antibiotics in children with URTIs.
The questionnaire was made by the researcher .The subjects were selected by two-stage cluster sampling
(Proportionate to Population Sampling) of parents who were referred in 2012 to health centers in the
Hamadan province 2012.
Results: A total of 1020 Parents were studied. Results indicated that approximately 43% of participants
believe that the majority of upper respiratory infections are viral. About half of the parents (47.3%) tend to
choose the doctors to prescribe antibiotics early and approximately 30% of Participants request antibiotics
directly .
Conclusions: The results show that parents’ knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the use of
antibiotics for upper respiratory infections in children are inappropriate. To reduce the indiscriminate use of
antibiotics, in addition to Continuous medical education, parents need to be educated comprehensively by
physicians and general media.