Abstract

Objective: Non-compliance with antibiotic use is a major cause of treatment failure, increased adverse effects, higher healthcare costs and antibiotic resistance. In this study, our objective was to investigate the factors affecting non-compliance with antibiotic use in Dursunbey, to define preventive measures, and to design content of educational activities.

Methods: 129 volunteers who have used antibiotics in the last 3 months were involved in the study. A brief questionnaire with 14 questions was applied through face to face interview. A cross-sectional study was performed on the basis of volunteers’ replies. The data were evaluated by bivariate analysis and a logistic regression model.

Results: Non-compliance in antibiotic use was detected to be 35%. Bivariate analysis revealed that female sex, age, antibiotic prescription in family medicine centers, antibiotic consumption for upper respiratory tract complaints, feeling better on the first days of antibiotic course, low education level were significantly related to non-compliance in antibiotic use. Multivariate analysis showed that “feeling better on the first days of antibiotic course” (Odds ratio: 5.05) and “female sex” (Odds ratio: 14.38) were significantly related to noncompliance in antibiotic use.

Conclusions: Compliance with antibiotic use can be increased by physicians and pharmacists giving satisfactory and appropriate information, performing rapid diagnostic tests, thorough evaluation of antibiotic necessity in each patient with upper respiratory tract complaints by physicians and designing educational activities about antibiotics in schools and maternal healthcare centers.