Table 4.
Physicians' knowledge and practices in prescribing antibiotics.
| Knowledge and practices |
Proportion of physicians (N = 62) |
|
|---|---|---|
| n | % | |
| Knowledge of the concept of antibiotic resistance | ||
| Knowledge of natural resistance | ||
| Yes | 56 | 90.3 |
| Means of recognition of antibiotic resistance | ||
| Treatment failure and persistence of symptoms after normal duration of treatment | 35 | 57.4 |
| Results of AST | 26 | 42.6 |
| Factors believed to be responsible for antibiotic resistance | ||
| Poor quality of antibiotics available | 55 | 88.7 |
| Self-medication | 54 | 87.1 |
| Misuse of antibiotics | 42 | 67.7 |
| Non-compliance with the dosage | 37 | 59.7 |
| Inadequate duration of the antibiotic therapy | 26 | 41.9 |
| Criteria other than AST for the choice of antibiotics | ||
| General knowledge about effective antibiotics | 51 | 82.3 |
| Availability of the antibiotic in Benin | 43 | 69.4 |
| Previous experience with the effectiveness of the antibiotic | 34 | 54.8 |
| Purchasing power of the patient | 31 | 50 |
| Availability of the antibiotic in the region | 17 | 27.4 |
| Cost of the antibiotic | 7 | 11.3 |
| Recommendation of a colleague | 4 | 6.5 |
| Prescription practices | ||
| Identification of the bacterium influences antibiotic therapy | ||
| Yes | 60 | 96.8 |
| Important criteria for the choice of antibiotics | ||
| Results of AST | 55 | 88.7 |
| Experience with the effectiveness of an antibiotic | 39 | 62.9 |
| Usually prescribed antibiotics | 29 | 46.8 |
| Bacterial species and infection site | 1 | 1.6 |
| Clinical condition of the patient | 1 | 1.6 |
| Preference for generic or brand-name antibiotics | ||
| Generic and brand-name antibiotics | 27 | 43.5 |
| Brand-name antibiotics | 23 | 37.1 |
| Generic antibiotics | 18 | 29 |
| Factors that influence the preference to prescribe an antibiotic | ||
| Cost of the product | 42 | 67.7 |
| Unavailability of brand-name antibiotics | 38 | 61.3 |
| Quality of generics | 33 | 53.2 |
| Prescription protocol of the healthcare center | 13 | 21 |
| Effectiveness of an antibiotic | 2 | 6.5 |
| Financial capacity of the patient | 1 | 1.6 |
| Probable reasons for encountered antibiotic treatment failures | ||
| Inappropriate choice of an antibiotic | 42 | 79.2 |
| Non-compliance of the patient with treatment | 38 | 71.7 |
| Antibiotic not purchased by the patient | 23 | 43.4 |
| Superinfections | 19 | 35.8 |
| Resistant pathogens | 4 | 7.5 |
| Low antibiotic efficiency | 1 | 1.6 |
| Consulting an infectious disease specialist for the therapeutic protocol | ||
| Yes | 5 | 8.1 |
| Reason for not consulting an infectious disease specialist | ||
| No infectiologist in the health facility | 45 | 80.4 |
| Has the necessary knowledge | 6 | 10.7 |
| Postgraduate training for antibiotic prescribing | ||
| Yes | 16 | 25.8 |