Survey on antibiotics prescription and resistance on medical and dental practitioners

Abstract

The objective of this research was to find out how much medical and dental professionals and interns in Maharashtra knew about the current situation regarding usages of antibiotics and its over usage which leads to antibiotic resistance over time. A self-administered survey created with Google Forms that asks about the extent of usage of antibiotics.A survey was conducted among the medical and dental professionals practicing in the state of Maharashtra from 01 September 2023 to  15 October 2023 analyse the extent of usage of antibiotics among patients and to draw their attention towards the excessive usage of antibiotics and problems related to it with proper evidence. A total of 570 responses were obtained during the survey among which there were 17.2% medical practitioner, 28% Dental practitioner, 14.4% Medical interns and 40.4% Dental interns. During the survey it was found that 61.5%% of respondents prescribe antibiotics on a regular basis. Our study offers regional data to guide future initiatives in a nation with high antibiotic consumption rates. Through Google forms, the Modified Questionnaire was disseminated among the Maharashtra participants. Participants were made aware that the replies were kept confidential. The sole data programme choice available was MS EXCEL, which was used to code, enter, and analyze the data. For qualitative and quantitative variables as well as percentages, statistical analysis in the form of frequencies and percentages was utilized in their study.Over 60% of survey respondents prescribed antibiotics. It was discovered that over 70% of participants get patients who purchase antibiotics without a prescription. Over 70% of patients do not take their antibiotics as prescribed. It was found that about half of these individuals had at some point complained about antibiotics not working.