Assessing patients’ knowledge immediately after obtaining the antibacterial drug azithromycin: a community pharmacy-based cross-sectional study

A total of 418 participants completed the questionnaire, with a mean age of 35.27 years; 75.60% were under 40 years old, and 62.20% were female. The majority were married (81.82%), resided in urban areas (57.89%), and held a university degree (67.70%). Azithromycin was prescribed by physicians for 62.20% of participants, while 29.67% obtained it directly from pharmacists via over-the-counter (OTC) access, and 8.13% self-medicated. Knowledge scores differed significantly according to marital status, place of residence, education level, and socioeconomic status, with higher scores observed among married, urban, university-educated, and higher-income individuals (p < 0.05). In contrast, age, gender, smoking status, and diabetes mellitus showed no significant association with knowledge scores. Overall, 21.53% of participants had poor knowledge, 46.41% had average knowledge, and 32.06% demonstrated good knowledge.