Adherence to Prescribed Antibiotics by Some Nigerian University Students
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Abstract
Poor adherence to antibiotic therapy is a current public health problem in light of the increasing scourge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally. The aim of this work was to assess adherence to two of the most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics (Amoxicillin and Ciprofloxacin) at the health centre of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. The study was prospective and carried out between April and August 2016. Two hundred students (100 for each antibiotic) who were prescribed either drug for 5 days were followed up. Data was collected directly from participants using exit interviews and phone calls and also from their patient records. Investigators called the students at a time when they should have taken all but one dose of their antibiotic and asked them how many tablets they had left. Those with only one dose remaining were deemed adherent. Adherence to the antibiotics was remarkably low, with less than half of the students (34% & 44%) respectively being adherent to Ciprofloxacin and Amoxicillin. Paradoxically, adherence to Amoxicillin was better than that to Ciprofloxacin. Average quantity of antibiotic tablets/capsules remaining with non-adherent participants was 3.36 for both medicines. There is an urgent need for better patient education on the proper usage of antibiotics
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