Knowledge and Perception of HealthCare Workers on Antibiotic Resistance and Predictors of Antibiotic Prescription in Benue State, Nigeria

Aim: The present study was aimed to assess the knowledge gaps in healthcare professionals on antibiotic resistance and determine the predictors of antibiotic prescription in Benue State, Nigeria

Study Design: Using a facility-based cross-sectional study,

Place and Duration of the Study: Randomly selected three primary health care facilities, three secondary health care facilities and three Tertiary health care facilities in Benue State Nigeria from January 2023 to December, 2024

Purpose of the Study: The main purpose of this study is to assess the level of knowledge as regards to antibiotic prescription, determine the antibiotic, determines the perception about antibiotic resistance and also determine the factors influencing antibiotics prescription among the multidisciplinary health workers.

Methods: A total of 427 healthcare workers (HCW) were administered pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaires in this multi-stage descriptive cross-sectional study.

Results: The mean age of participants was 37.27±9.41 years, with majority (73.3%) having good knowledge on antibiotic prescription. About 55% of participants had good perception of antibiotic resistance, with 13.7% prescribing metronidazole. Participants agreed that safety (72.8%), severity of disease (86.7%), accessibility of antibiotic by patients (79.6%), standard treatment guidelines (77.8%), effectiveness of antibiotics (86.2%), and antibiotic resistance concerns (88.1%), respectively, influenced their choices of prescription. Physicians had the highest proportion of prescription of antibiotic (98%), and participants with negative perception of antibiotic resistance had the highest proportion (84.8%) of prescription of antibiotic. Furthermore, the logistic regression model was statistically significant (p < 0.0001), with physicians and participants who agreed that accessibility to antibiotic by patients being 2.57 times more likely to prescribe antibiotics.

Conclusion: The present study showed that HCWs in Tertiary facilities have better knowledge on antibiotic prescription and perception of antibiotic resistance. However, the secondary and primary health care facilities recorded knowledge gap on antibiotic prescription and perception of antibiotic resistance. With the hope of compliance to global best practices, we recommend that healthcare workers in Benue state especially in secondary and primary health care facilities should avoid indiscriminate prescription of antimicrobials, and patients should only consult with trained HCW for drug prescription and dispensing.