Upper respiratory tract infections in children and antibiotic use: Cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents

Introduction & Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health issue because of antibioticresistant pathogens is increasing. One of the most important factors in the spread of antibiotic resistance is excessive use of antibiotics. Upper respiratory infections are one of the most common antibiotic prescription in the children، while mostly upper respiratory infections are viral origin. Antibiotic prescription are affected by knowledge، attitudes، and pressure from parents. The purpose of this study was to assess parental knowledge، attitudes، and behaviors on antibiotic use for children with Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in Hamadan. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Hamadan to assess parents’ Knowledge، Attitude and Practices (KAP) concerning the role of antibiotics in children with URTIs. The questionnaire was made by the researcher. The subjects were selected by two stage cluster sampling (Proportionate to Population Sampling) of parents who were referred in 2012 to health centers in the Hamadan province 2012. A total of 1020 Parents were studied. Results indicated that approximately 43% of participants believe that the majority of upper respiratory infections are viral. About half of the parents (47. 3%) tend to choose the doctors to prescribe antibiotics early and approximately 30% of Participants request antibiotics directly. The results show that parents’ knowledge، attitude and practice regarding the use of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections in children are inappropriate. To reduce the indiscriminate use of antibiotics، in addition to Continuous medical education، parents need to be educated comprehensively by physicians and general media.