Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39618514›Full record

ArticleF1000Research2023

Knowledge and Attitude of self-medication with leftover antibiotics in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

Bader Al-Mehmadi, Saad Alsubaie, Omar Al-Morikhi, Fawaz Alqahtani, Waad Almutairi, Maryam Al-Mutairi, Mohammed Alotaibi, Saud Alenazi, Khalid Alanazi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in F1000Research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Design and implementation of Cs/GO/TiOScientific reports · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistantFrontiers in microbiology · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
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

9 authors.

Bader Al-MehmadiAssistant Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Consultant, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, 11952, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-5609-9914
Saad AlsubaieCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Omar Al-MorikhiCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Fawaz AlqahtaniCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0001-5688-0076
Waad AlmutairiCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0002-7507-3795
Maryam Al-MutairiCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed AlotaibiCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Saud AlenaziCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Khalid AlanaziCollege of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-2706-1172

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is increasing at an alarming rate. The use of antibiotics without a prescription by a patient or other family members and their inappropriate storage have caused serious health issues as it would lead to antibiotic resistance and exposure to the risk of harmful adverse effects unnecessarily. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the current behaviour of antibiotic usage, storage, re-usage and misuse among the residents of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Our target study population was the residents of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by an online questionnaire and analysed by SPSS. Results: A total of 738 participants answered the online questionnaire from all ages, genders, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds residing in different regions across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 76.42% knew that an antibiotic is a chemical substance used to treat infections. The participants were questioned about when they started using antibiotics, to which 95.66% (n=706) responded after consulting a physician, 3.25% (n=24) said when they felt ill for any reason, and 1.08% (n=8) replied after first attempting herbal medicine. A total of 147 participants admitted that they store excess pills of antibiotics after being prescribed for an infection and reuse them later on for symptoms like sore throat and fever. Conclusions: The results indicated that nearly half of the participants used leftover antibiotics. Participants having children in their homes significantly reuse antibiotics. However, one-third of the participants didn't complete the antibiotics course. A large portion of the population, regardless of age, level of education, or professional background, have continued to store leftover antibiotics after an infection treatment and reuse them once they think they need them for new symptoms. This advice further revises the current measures to fill those gaps and reduce this habit.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeSelf MedicationAdolescentAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSaudi ArabiaSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultAnti-Bacterial Agentsantimicrobial resistanceLeftover antibioticsself-medication

Identifiers

PMID39618514
PMCPMC11607477

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.