Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37809972›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2023

Exploring the knowledge, practices & determinants of antibiotic self-medication among bangladeshi university students in the era of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

Abrar Wahab, Mohammad Morshad Alam, Shahriar Hasan, Sangeeta Halder, Md Obayed Ullah, Ahmed Hossain

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. A pill for every ill? Unpacking antibiotic misuse among Bangladeshi university students.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Abrar WahabCentre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mohammad Morshad AlamDepartment of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Shahriar HasanDepartment of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sangeeta HalderDepartment of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Obayed UllahDepartment of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh.
Ahmed HossainDepartment of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
North South University · BDNoakhali Science and Technology University · BD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Self-medication with antibiotics is a growing public health concern. Antibiotics are easily accessible on requested from pharmacies throughout the majority of developing countries. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among university students in Bangladesh, as well as to evaluate their knowledge and practices related to antibiotics and its resistance. A structured questionnaire was administered to 1000 students over a month in January 2022 at three universities of Bangladesh. The results showed that 61.0% of the participants had self-medicated with antibiotics in the last six months. In regards to the participants' level of knowledge and practice, a significant proportion, 60.0% exhibited a substandard understanding of antibiotic resistance and appropriate antibiotic usage. Male students (61.7%) were found to self-medicate more often than female students (38.3%). The highest prevalence of self-medication was observed in the age group of 22-25 years (32.2%). The most common reasons for self-medication were previous experience with the illness (40.9%) and the belief that the illness was not serious (36.2%). The most common illnesses for which self-medication was practiced were fever (40.9%) and cough and cold (29.3%). During multivariate logistic regression analyses age, gender, maintaining diet chart, and habit of exercising regularly were found to be associated with the increased risk of self-medication with antibiotics. The study highlighted the critical need for targeted interventions to promote responsible antibiotic use, enhance knowledge about antibiotic resistance, and discourage self-medication among university students in Bangladesh. Addressing these factors would enable the government to mitigate risks associated with self-medication, prevent antibiotic resistance, and alleviate the burden on health and the economy at large.

Indexed as

Antibiotic resistanceBangladeshDeterminants of self-medication with antibioticsKnowledge and practiceSelf-medication with antibioticsUniversity students

Identifiers

PMID37809972
PMCPMC10559346
OpenAlexW4386600325

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.