Resistance to antibacterial drugs has been and remains among the most critical global challenges of modern public healthcare, which affects people, animals, and the environment. Understanding the current situation with antibacterial drug intake by population is required to formulate a strategy to combat antibiotic resistance or adapt the existing measures.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the features of antibacterial drug intake by the population of the Republic of Belarus and compare the results with Russia’s data.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The e-questioning was conducted in all regions of the Republic of Belarus using a questionnaire containing 28 questions in 6 blocks. The results were statistically processed using Statistica for Windows version 10.0, Stata, and R-studio software.
RESULTS
18.7% of respondents took antibacterial drugs without a prescription; 69.5% of them started the intake independently or on the advice of familiar medical workers (29.1%), pharmacists at the pharmacy (25.5%), or family members (17.7%). The most common reasons to terminate the course of medication were the improved condition (74.9%), disagreement with the duration of taking medications (8.8%), or the onset of adverse reactions (7.9%). The parameters that increased the risk of terminating the course of antibacterial drugs were the male gender, absence of higher education, purchase of drugs without a prescription, lack of knowledge on the prohibition to sell this group of drugs without a prescription, the absence of information about the proper intake of antibacterial drugs, the non-intake of drugs that normalize intestinal microflora and the reliance on the family members’ or mates’ knowledge as the source of data on antibacterial drugs.
CONCLUSIONS
The comparison of this study’s findings showed a large share of respondents taking antibacterial drugs without a prescription (32.2%) and those not completing the course of medication (21.7%) in Russia compared to the Republic of Belarus (18.7 and 132%, respectively). The reasons for terminating the course of antibacterial drugs were the same: the improved condition of the participants, disagreement with the duration of taking medications, or the onset of adverse reactions. A regular exchange of experience between the countries is needed to determine and scale the best practices and develop more efficient strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.
