Abstract

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in children account for a sizeable proportion of consultations in paediatric practice. There is sufficient evidence to back the viral origin of most of the URTIs and that the use of antibiotics in the same is unnecessary. Despite a predominantly viral cause, the prescription of antibiotics for URTI has been hugely popular among parents. This practice is an important factor, among others, in contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Objectives: To explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of caregivers regarding antibiotic use in children with URTIs. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a paediatric OPD in a tertiary care centre in Guntur. Among the children of age one and above, attending the OPD with features of URTI, 250 patients were selected at random. Information was gathered from their caretakers (accompanying them) using a self-constructed questionnaire, after taking informed consent. Results: Among the test subjects, the majority belonged to lower-middle and upper lower-class groups. A majority could identify URTI symptoms and sought health care when the duration was more than one day. More than half of them did not know the viral origin of the illness, nor about antibiotic indications. None of them had an idea about antibiotic resistance. 72% of them used medications before coming to this institution, of whom 62% used antibiotics, either from pharmacist prescriptions or from leftovers from a previous illness. Conclusions: Awareness regarding antibiotics is low among the public and resistance could be avoided if they are educated on concepts of indications of drugs and resistance.

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