ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2025
Household Knowledge of Clinical Risks, Storage, and Disposal of Leftover Antibiotics: A Multinational Study in Seven Developing Countries.
Katia Iskandar, Reham Kotb, Michelle Cherfane, Joumana Yeretzian, Julia Bou Dib, Bahia Chahine, Souheil Hallit, Rohul Amin, Mohamed Bahlol, Feten Fekih-Romdhane and 12 more
Abstract read
In one paragraphArticle in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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 registryThe 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 literatureWho cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
4 · The recordCorrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
5 · Who and what moneyAuthors and funding
22 authors.
Katia IskandarDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon.ORCID 0000-0001-5544-6681 Reham KotbDepartment of Environmental and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates.
Michelle CherfaneINSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut P.O. Box 12109, Lebanon.
Joumana YeretzianCenter for Collaborative Research Initiatives in Public Health, Higher Institute of Public Health, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Riad El Solh, Beirut P.O. Box 11-5076, Lebanon.ORCID 0000-0001-5805-4915 Julia Bou DibCenter for Collaborative Research Initiatives in Public Health, Higher Institute of Public Health, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Riad El Solh, Beirut P.O. Box 11-5076, Lebanon.ORCID 0009-0001-4343-287X Bahia ChahineDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon.
Souheil HallitSchool of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon.ORCID 0000-0001-6918-5689 Mohamed BahlolSpecialty of Pharmaceutical Management and Economics, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Badr City 11829, Cairo Governorate, Egypt.ORCID 0000-0002-2990-2708 Feten Fekih-RomdhaneThe Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry "Ibn Omrane", Razi Hospital, Manouba 2010, Tunisia.ORCID 0000-0002-2569-8017 Faten HamedDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon.ORCID 0009-0008-4379-7175 Mai HelmyDepartment of Psychology, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat P.O. Box 32, Oman.ORCID 0000-0002-7649-1358 Mohammed IrfanDepartment of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96020-010, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-0683-106X Jayaseelan MurugaiyanDepartment of Biological Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences (SEAS), SRM University-AP, Amaravati 522240, Andhra Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0002-1924-2988 Abdallah Y NaserDepartment of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman P.O. Box 11622, Jordan.ORCID 0000-0001-8440-7446 Esra' O TaybehDepartment of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman P.O. Box 11622, Jordan.ORCID 0000-0001-7493-7865 Nebojša PavlovićDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.ORCID 0000-0002-9444-5830 Deema RahmeDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut P.O. Box 11-5020, Lebanon.ORCID 0000-0003-4245-9699 Marwan AklDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon.
Pascale SalamehINSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut P.O. Box 12109, Lebanon.
Ana TomasDepartment of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.ORCID 0000-0003-2361-872X Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
6 · The paper itselfAbstract
backgroundSelf-medication with leftover antibiotics (SMLA) drives antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in developing countries. This study examined knowledge-practice gaps regarding antibiotic use and handling among individuals with prior SMLA across seven developing countries.
methodsA cross-sectional study (February 2023-February 2024) included 3191 adults from Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, and Serbia who reported previous leftover antibiotic use. The questionnaires assessed knowledge of antibiotic use (15 items), resistance (12 items), and SMLA risks (15 items). Storage and disposal practices were evaluated using dichotomized correct/incorrect measures.
resultsParticipants demonstrated above-average knowledge scores as follows: antibiotic use (54.4 ± 8.4), resistance (43.3 ± 6.1), and SMLA risks (58.4 ± 10.3). However, substantial practice gaps emerged. Only 21.9% properly disposed of leftover antibiotics, while 47.0% used household garbage. For storage, 55.1% used appropriate methods, but 32.6% stored antibiotics inappropriately, and 12.8% lacked protocols. Serbian participants showed the highest SMLA risk knowledge (64.3 ± 10.6), Bangladeshi participants the lowest (52.0 ± 8.5,
conclusionsDespite extensive theoretical knowledge, unsafe medication practices persist, revealing a critical knowledge-practice gap. Our findings challenge education-focused AMR approaches, suggesting cognitive awareness alone cannot drive behavioral change. Effective interventions must address structural barriers, cultural factors, and individual health beliefs beyond traditional knowledge-deficit models.
Indexed as
developing countriesdisposalhouseholdleftover antibioticsself-medicationstorage
Identifiers
PMID41463715
PMCPMC12729722
What OpenQuestion holds
Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390