General practitioners and medical interns' level of knowledge assessment and their commitment to prescribing antibiotic therapy in the treatment of respiratory infections

The objective: To assess the level of knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) and medical interns (MI) in matters of antimicrobial therapy, to identify the most common AB for the treatment of respiratory infections.The methods: there was developed an original questionnaire for surveying physicians. Eleven GPs and twenty-five MI of Belgorod region's medical institutions took part in the research.The results: The question - when it is necessary to change an antibiotic treatment in case of clinical effect absence – was answered correctly in 81.8% and 64% of cases and given by GPs and MI respectively; the question about AB treatment duration was answered by 45.5% of GPs and 56% of MI.The preferences of GPs and MI on application groups of antibacterial drugs for the treatment of respiratory infections is given to Cephalosporines (100% and 76%), Penicillines (100% and 60%), Macrolides (100% and 56%) and Fluoroquinolones (81.8% and 40%), respectively by AB - Azithromycin (100% and 56%), Ceftriaxone (54.5% and 64%), Amoxicillin/Clavulatate (63.6% and 40%) and Ciprofloxacin (63.6% and 24%), respectively.The conclusions: The level of GPs and medical interns' knowledge in rational antibiotic therapy of respiratory infections is fairly low. It requires conducting additional education programs and measures.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: 12.1 Medical Education, Web and Internet Source Type: research