Assessment of antibiotic abuse among patients visiting out-patient department in a teaching hospital in Ghana

Antibiotic abuse and the emergency of its resistance is a public health concern globally. This has resulted in protracted hospitalization, increased medical costs, and mortality. Self-medication, poor knowledge of antibiotics use and lack of enforcement of regulatory policies on their sale have been reported as a major conduit necessitating abuse by patients prior to visiting healthcare facilities in many developing countries including Ghana. This study sought to assess the abuse of antibiotics among patients attending outpatient departments in a Teaching Hospital in Ghana. A questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months from January to March, 2022 among 295 patients/participants visiting the out-patient department at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital in the Bono region of Ghana, to assess patients’ attitude, knowledge, and practice of antibiotics use. The majority of the respondents were females (54.6% [161/295]), age ranges: ≥50 years, 20-29 years and 30-39 years constituted the bulk (46.9%) of the study population. 179 patients (60.7%) had a general knowledge of antibiotics, however, information on abuse and its associated resistance was inadequate to 199 (67.5%) of respondents. 243 (82.4%) of the participants purchased antibiotics from pharmacies, with 197 (67.7%) purchased without prescription (self-medication). Many of the respondents abuse antibiotics, due to a lack of knowledge of antibiotic resistance and its spreads. Abuse of ≥3 different antibiotic classes/agents was common, and many had easy access to antibiotics through leftovers and purchasing without prescription. The results are a wake-up call for enforcement of antibiotic regulatory policies and monitoring of community pharmacies and other chemical outlets to ensure proper sale of antibiotics to minimizing the abuse and alarming rate of resistance. Key words: Antibiotic, self-medication, out-patient department, abuse, antibiotic resistance.