Awareness of Syrian Private University students about the Use of antibiotics for respiratory infections

Awareness of Syrian Private University students about the Use of antibiotics for respiratory infections | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Awareness of Syrian Private University students about the Use of antibiotics for respiratory infections Louay Ibrahim, Joseph ALsewiti, Housam Bardan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and aim of the research: The use and selection of appropriate antibiotics in respiratory infections is extremely important. The current study aimed to determine the awareness of medical students at the Syrian Private University about the use of antibiotics in respiratory infections. Methods and materials: Samples were collected at the Syrian Private University through an electronic questionnaire that was distributed to the special groups of the Syrian Private University. The samples were analyzed using the SPSS program during official working hours. The sample selection method was convenience sampling. Our required sample size was 295, which met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and design. The study is cross-sectional. Results The study included (295) students, most of whom were sixth-year students (25.8%). Most of the students used both azithromycin and amoxicillin. Most students answered that antibiotics should be used when suffering from pneumonia (96.5%) and acute bronchitis (45.8%). Most of the students answered that green sputum is evidence of a bacterial infection and antibiotics should be used (30.1%), the ideal treatment for acute bronchitis is antibiotics (50.8%), the optimal treatment for purulent sinusitis and rhinitis is antibiotics (61.4%), and the ideal treatment for the common cold is antibiotics (62.7%), and antibiotics are used for asthma attacks, tonsillitis, and laryngitis (44.1%, 75.6%, 45.5%). Conclusion The awareness rate was higher among sixth and fifth year students for each type of antibiotic used. Antibiotics must be prescribed in the case of bacterial pneumonia. The green color of the sputum is evidence of a bacterial infection. Treating purulent sinusitis is with antibiotics. Treating colds is symptomatic. Purulent tonsillitis is treated with antibiotics. Pulmonology Antibiotics respiratory infections Syrian Private University Introduction Antibiotics represent the mainstay in the treatment of respiratory infections, especially those caused by bacterial diseases, but they are not useful if the disease is of a viral origin, such as cough, viral sore throat, and influenza. Accordingly, antibiotics have been described as having no or little benefit in treating Viral respiratory infections, as recent studies indicate that the use of antibiotics can weaken immunity by disrupting the microbiome, in addition to the excessive use of antibiotics exposing patients to the risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal pain and complications such as Clostridium difficile infection and allergic reactions, so the World Health Organization announced FDA announces a World Antibiotic Awareness Week from November 18 to 24 of each year (6). Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of the health and economic problems in the world, which has prompted researchers to investigate new antibiotics to overcome resistant bacterial strains that increase the mortality and epidemic rates. The ongoing conflict is between bacteria that are constantly developing their resistance to antibiotics and researchers who are working hard to find effective antibiotics. New, as any antibiotic used medically has developed resistance within 10–15 years, in addition to the slow level of production and development of new antibiotics compared to the rapid development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which could lead to a post-antibiotic era, which gives a pessimistic view (7). Methods Objectives of the study: The use and selection of appropriate antibiotics in respiratory infections is extremely important. The current study aimed to determine the awareness of medical students at the Syrian Private University about the use of antibiotics in respiratory infections. Inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria: Human medicine students only at the Syrian Private University, depending on educational level, standard of living, and year of study. Males and females were included, and all ages of students at the Syrian Private University were included. exclusion criteria: Students who did not provide us with sufficient or illogical information were excluded, students from colleges who do not reside in Syria and who are not affiliated with the Syrian private university were excluded, and students in non-medical colleges were excluded. Place of study Syrian Private University Study period During the period from 1/17/2023 until 8/26/2023 Study design and preparation: Samples were collected at the Syrian Private University through an electronic questionnaire that was distributed to the special groups of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the Syrian Private University. The samples were analyzed using the SPSS program during official working hours. Since the questionnaires were distributed randomly to medical students at the Syrian Private University, the sample selection method was Convenience sampling: Our required sample size was 295 subjects that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Since the research design is a cross-sectional study, the sample size was determined taking into account the margin of error ± 5% and the confidence interval 95%. statistical analysis: These data from the electronic questionnaires were entered into the SPSS version 28 file to analyze and find the results of this study. The descriptive analysis (frequencies and percentages) was found for all study variables, and the inferential analysis included studying the existence of relationships and correlations between many of the studied variables using Chi-square. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Faculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University. Results The largest percentage of students, which amounted to 25.8%, were from the sixth year students, and the smallest percentage was from the fifth year students, which amounted to 14.5% and the first year, 6.8%. In addition, there was a close percentage among the students who never used antibiotics, which amounted to 52.2%, while the students who used antibiotics Their percentage was 47.8%, and the antibiotics used were: Azithromycin due to dry cough, fever, and general fatigue / Corona Augmentin due to surgery / purulent tonsillitis / inflammation of the pharynx and middle ear Ampicillin and amoxicillin for the presence of pharyngitis and tonsillitis Amoxicillin due to acute bronchitis / sinusitis / respiratory tract infection / sore throat Levofloxacin 500 for the presence of pharyngitis and middle ear infection Doxycycline to treat urinary tract infection Ciprofloxacin laryngitis Cefixime urinary tract infection The correct answer rate for azithromycin was 71.5% and for amoxicillin 58.6%. Therefore, the awareness rate among students was: First year: 40% Second year: 60.8% Third year: 77.5% Fourth year: 78.8% Fifth year: 82.5% Sixth year: 93.05% Most answers were for bacterial pneumonia (96.5%), acute bronchitis (45.8%), and bronchiectasis (bronchiectasis) attack (6.1%). We note that a high percentage of students responded to acute sinusitis, which amounted to 43.7%, but all cases require treatment with antibiotics only in advanced cases. Most cases of acute sinusitis are caused by viruses and not bacteria, and therefore the awareness rate among students is: First year: 50% Second year: 65.2% Third year: 64.9% Fourth year: 69.23% Fifth year: 84.8% Sixth year: 81.4% We conclude that a green runny nose is a bacterial infection, and therefore the percentage of students’ answers to use antibiotics to treat it was 30.1%, while the largest percentage who answered maybe (I don’t know) was 42.1%, and therefore the awareness rate among students is: First year: 25% Second year: 21% Third year: 30% Fourth year: 15.3% Fifth year: 42.4% Sixth year: 50% We conclude that most of the answers, which amounted to 50.8%, were for antibiotics, knowing that acute bronchitis is treated symptomatically and antibiotics are not used except in the case of bacterial infection, while those who chose symptomatic treatment were a very small percentage, 11.9%. Thus, the awareness rate among students is: First year: 80% Second year: 69.5% Third year: 70.1% Fourth year: 51.5% Fifth year: 41.3% Sixth year: 54.7% We conclude that most of the answers are antibiotics, which amounted to 61.4%, which is the optimal treatment. Therefore, the awareness rate among students is: First year: 40% Second year: 41.3% Third year: 49.1% Fourth year: 50% Fifth year: 81.8% Sixth year: 83.3% We conclude that the percentage of responses to the symptomatic treatment was 62.7%, which is the optimal treatment, so the students’ awareness rate is: First year: 50% Second year: 39.1% Third year: 49.1% Fourth year: 53.8% Fifth year: 81.9% Sixth year: 84.1% We conclude that there are similar rates between bronchodilators, which amounted to 44.1%, and inhaled steroids, 40%, knowing that to treat an asthma attack, we use bronchodilators and systemic steroids to control symptoms and reduce the risk of attacks and deterioration of lung function. Therefore, the awareness rate among students: First year: 20% Second year: 54.3% Third year: 56.1% Fourth year: 59.6% Fifth year: 25.5% Sixth year: 26.4% We conclude that the largest percentage of students answered antibiotics, which amounted to 75.6%, which is the optimal answer, and therefore the awareness rate is: First year: 60% Second year: 63.04% Third year: 66% Fourth year: 73.07% Fifth year: 74.4% Sixth year: 88.8% We conclude that the largest percentage was for antibiotics, 45.5%, and steroids, 22%. Therefore, the awareness rate among students is: First year: 80% Second year: 50% Third year: 68.4% Fourth year: 69.2% Fifth year: 69.7% Sixth year: 75% We conclude that the largest percentage answered yes, which amounted to 89.2%, and a very small percentage, not exceeding 10.5%, answered no. The awareness rate among these students was: First year: 90% Second year: 82.6% Third year: 91.2% Fourth year: 80.7% Fifth year: 69.7% Sixth year: 96.2% We conclude that there is a similarity in proportion between the two answers, as the percentage of those who answered yes was 48.6% and those who answered no was 51.2%, knowing that to choose the most appropriate antibiotic, the identity of the pathogen (germs) must be determined through culture and staining with Gram stain. The awareness rate is: First year: 65% Second year: 43.4% Third year: 52.6% Fourth year: 55.7% Fifth year: 44.1% Sixth year: 55% We conclude that most students, 80%, believe that increasing the prescribed dose does not improve symptoms. The students’ awareness rate is: First year: 75% Second year: 82.6% Third year: 68.4% Fourth year: 82.6% Fifth year: 90.6% Sixth year: 81.9% We conclude that the majority of students answered that repeating the dose contributes to the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics at a rate of 85.4%, and thus the students’ awareness rate is: First year: 75% Second year: 73.9% Third year: 80.7% Fourth year: 88.4% Fifth year: 93.025 Sixth year: 93.05% We conclude that most of the students’ answers were 45.4% for the period of 7 days, which is sufficient time to use antibiotics, and the percentage of answers is similar for 14 days at 23.7% and 5 days at 22%. The students’ awareness rate is: First year: 65% Second year: 39.1% Third year: 36.8% Fourth year: 38.4% Fifth year: 51.1% Sixth year: 55.6% Discussion Antibiotics are among the most commonly used medications at the present time, as they work to treat infections caused by bacteria, prevent the spread of diseases, and reduce serious complications following surgery, but the excessive use of antibiotics is a major factor in the emergence of resistance to them, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, the majority Their uses are not necessary or appropriate, as most diseases may be prescribed to treat antibiotics without conducting a culture and sensitivity test, and therefore the World Health Organization (FDA) announced a global week to raise awareness of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the period from November 18 to 24 of each year. Administration of antibiotics can help in maintaining their effectiveness, adhering to a treatment period of no less than 7 days, and not dispensing them by doctors without conducting a culture test, which leads to ensuring the provision of effective treatments against bacteria and reducing the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Based on unsatisfactory results, it should be Holding scientific seminars to raise awareness of the dangers of indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics, increasing awareness of the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance at the global level, and reducing indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics without resorting to bacterial culture to find out which antibiotic is best for eliminating the bacterial cell and thus reducing the emergence of bacterial resistant strains.Previous global studies. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate: The Research Ethics Committee in the Syrian Private University and the ethical committees in the concerned Syrian private university approved the study protocol. Verbal informed consent was obtained from every participant before participation. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were by the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Availability of data and materials: All data related to this paper’s conclusion are available and stored by the authors. All data are available from the corresponding author on a reasonable request. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest Funding: This research received no specific grant from SPU or any other funding agency in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors. Authors’ contributions: L.I and J.I conceptualized the study L.I and J.I wrote the study protocol, performed the statistical analysis, participated in data collection, and did the literature search. L.I participated in the literature search, interpret the results, wrote the main manuscript, H.B. revised the draft. All authors read and approved the final draft. Acknowledgments: We are thankful to the management of the Syrian Private University and for their support in the field of medical training and research, We would also like to thank Dr. Housam bardan for his help and supervision in the paper. References Bronzwaer, S.; Lonnroth, A. and Haigh, R. (2004) The European Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance. Euro. Surveill. 9: 1–3. Niederman, MS. (2001) Impact of antibiotic resistance on clinical outcomes and the cost of care. Crit Care Med., 29: N114–N120. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3485632","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":242467216,"identity":"0cc94977-9174-4dd1-a59c-ef71f139bb2e","order_by":0,"name":"Louay Ibrahim","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPhDB2MDAYMDMwPgAyObhI6SFDUkLswFICxvxWoBsCbgIXi3sPYafeXfckzdn506r/JpjJ8PGwPzw0Q18WnjOGEvznik23NnMu+227LZkoMPYjI1z8GmRyDGQ5m1LYNxwGKhFchszUAsPmzQBLca/gVrsQVqKJbfVE6XFDGRLIkgL48dth4nQwnOszHLumYRkoJbN0ozbjvOwMRPwCz978+Ybb3ck2G44f3bjx5/bqu2BIg8f49MCAkw8UAYzmMFMQDkIMP5AZ4yCUTAKRsEoQAYAm3RBozLatmIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of medicine, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria.","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Louay","middleName":"","lastName":"Ibrahim","suffix":""},{"id":242469768,"identity":"98bbec24-392e-4b85-b483-094e50fa641e","order_by":1,"name":"Joseph ALsewiti","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of medicine, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joseph","middleName":"","lastName":"ALsewiti","suffix":""},{"id":242469769,"identity":"5c4c25b6-4053-4509-9d33-b7e3f1822ae6","order_by":2,"name":"Housam Bardan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Internal Medicine at the Syrian Private University, Medical Director at Al-Mouwasat University Hospital, Damascus, Syria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Housam","middleName":"","lastName":"Bardan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-10-24 10:35:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"coiExplicitlySet":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":45204596,"identity":"c49440b6-06a6-4a79-9054-e8b80d32f7cf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-10-25 10:48:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":251494,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3485632/v1/9d58adc1-697e-4ba2-bcc7-52a846bd1287.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAwareness of Syrian Private University students about the Use of antibiotics for respiratory infections\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAntibiotics represent the mainstay in the treatment of respiratory infections, especially those caused by bacterial diseases, but they are not useful if the disease is of a viral origin, such as cough, viral sore throat, and influenza. Accordingly, antibiotics have been described as having no or little benefit in treating Viral respiratory infections, as recent studies indicate that the use of antibiotics can weaken immunity by disrupting the microbiome, in addition to the excessive use of antibiotics exposing patients to the risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal pain and complications such as Clostridium difficile infection and allergic reactions, so the World Health Organization announced FDA announces a World Antibiotic Awareness Week from November 18 to 24 of each year (6).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of the health and economic problems in the world, which has prompted researchers to investigate new antibiotics to overcome resistant bacterial strains that increase the mortality and epidemic rates. The ongoing conflict is between bacteria that are constantly developing their resistance to antibiotics and researchers who are working hard to find effective antibiotics. New, as any antibiotic used medically has developed resistance within 10\u0026ndash;15 years, in addition to the slow level of production and development of new antibiotics compared to the rapid development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which could lead to a post-antibiotic era, which gives a pessimistic view (7).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eObjectives of the study:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe use and selection of appropriate antibiotics in respiratory infections is extremely important. The current study aimed to determine the awareness of medical students at the Syrian Private University about the use of antibiotics in respiratory infections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eInclusion criteria and exclusion criteria:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eInclusion criteria:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHuman medicine students only at the Syrian Private University, depending on educational level, standard of living, and year of study. Males and females were included, and all ages of students at the Syrian Private University were included.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eexclusion criteria:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eStudents who did not provide us with sufficient or illogical information were excluded, students from colleges who do not reside in Syria and who are not affiliated with the Syrian private university were excluded, and students in non-medical colleges were excluded.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlace of study\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSyrian Private University\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudy period\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDuring the period from 1/17/2023 until 8/26/2023\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eStudy design and preparation:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSamples were collected at the Syrian Private University through an electronic questionnaire that was distributed to the special groups of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the Syrian Private University. The samples were analyzed using the SPSS program during official working hours. Since the questionnaires were distributed randomly to medical students at the Syrian Private University, the sample selection method was Convenience sampling: Our required sample size was 295 subjects that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Since the research design is a cross-sectional study, the sample size was determined taking into account the margin of error\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5% and the confidence interval 95%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003estatistical analysis:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThese data from the electronic questionnaires were entered into the SPSS version 28 file to analyze and find the results of this study. The descriptive analysis (frequencies and percentages) was found for all study variables, and the inferential analysis included studying the existence of relationships and correlations between many of the studied variables using Chi-square.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eEthical considerations:\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEthical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Faculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe largest percentage of students, which amounted to 25.8%, were from the sixth year students, and the smallest percentage was from the fifth year students, which amounted to 14.5% and the first year, 6.8%. In addition, there was a close percentage among the students who never used antibiotics, which amounted to 52.2%, while the students who used antibiotics Their percentage was 47.8%, and the antibiotics used were:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAzithromycin due to dry cough, fever, and general fatigue / Corona\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAugmentin due to surgery / purulent tonsillitis / inflammation of the pharynx and middle ear\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAmpicillin and amoxicillin for the presence of pharyngitis and tonsillitis\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAmoxicillin due to acute bronchitis / sinusitis / respiratory tract infection / sore throat\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLevofloxacin 500 for the presence of pharyngitis and middle ear infection\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDoxycycline to treat urinary tract infection\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCiprofloxacin laryngitis\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCefixime urinary tract infection\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe correct answer rate for azithromycin was 71.5% and for amoxicillin 58.6%. Therefore, the awareness rate among students was:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 40% Second year: 60.8% Third year: 77.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 78.8% Fifth year: 82.5% Sixth year: 93.05%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost answers were for bacterial pneumonia (96.5%), acute bronchitis (45.8%), and bronchiectasis (bronchiectasis) attack (6.1%).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe note that a high percentage of students responded to acute sinusitis, which amounted to 43.7%, but all cases require treatment with antibiotics only in advanced cases. Most cases of acute sinusitis are caused by viruses and not bacteria, and therefore the awareness rate among students is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 50% Second year: 65.2% Third year: 64.9%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 69.23% Fifth year: 84.8% Sixth year: 81.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that a green runny nose is a bacterial infection, and therefore the percentage of students\u0026rsquo; answers to use antibiotics to treat it was 30.1%, while the largest percentage who answered maybe (I don\u0026rsquo;t know) was 42.1%, and therefore the awareness rate among students is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 25% Second year: 21% Third year: 30%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 15.3% Fifth year: 42.4% Sixth year: 50%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that most of the answers, which amounted to 50.8%, were for antibiotics, knowing that acute bronchitis is treated symptomatically and antibiotics are not used except in the case of bacterial infection, while those who chose symptomatic treatment were a very small percentage, 11.9%. Thus, the awareness rate among students is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 80% Second year: 69.5% Third year: 70.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 51.5% Fifth year: 41.3% Sixth year: 54.7%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that most of the answers are antibiotics, which amounted to 61.4%, which is the optimal treatment. Therefore, the awareness rate among students is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 40% Second year: 41.3% Third year: 49.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 50% Fifth year: 81.8% Sixth year: 83.3%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that the percentage of responses to the symptomatic treatment was 62.7%, which is the optimal treatment, so the students\u0026rsquo; awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 50% Second year: 39.1% Third year: 49.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 53.8% Fifth year: 81.9% Sixth year: 84.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that there are similar rates between bronchodilators, which amounted to 44.1%, and inhaled steroids, 40%, knowing that to treat an asthma attack, we use bronchodilators and systemic steroids to control symptoms and reduce the risk of attacks and deterioration of lung function. Therefore, the awareness rate among students:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 20% Second year: 54.3% Third year: 56.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 59.6% Fifth year: 25.5% Sixth year: 26.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that the largest percentage of students answered antibiotics, which amounted to 75.6%, which is the optimal answer, and therefore the awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 60% Second year: 63.04% Third year: 66%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 73.07% Fifth year: 74.4% Sixth year: 88.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that the largest percentage was for antibiotics, 45.5%, and steroids, 22%. Therefore, the awareness rate among students is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 80% Second year: 50% Third year: 68.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 69.2% Fifth year: 69.7% Sixth year: 75%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that the largest percentage answered yes, which amounted to 89.2%, and a very small percentage, not exceeding 10.5%, answered no. The awareness rate among these students was:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 90% Second year: 82.6% Third year: 91.2%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 80.7% Fifth year: 69.7% Sixth year: 96.2%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that there is a similarity in proportion between the two answers, as the percentage of those who answered yes was 48.6% and those who answered no was 51.2%, knowing that to choose the most appropriate antibiotic, the identity of the pathogen (germs) must be determined through culture and staining with Gram stain. The awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 65% Second year: 43.4% Third year: 52.6%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 55.7% Fifth year: 44.1% Sixth year: 55%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that most students, 80%, believe that increasing the prescribed dose does not improve symptoms. The students\u0026rsquo; awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 75% Second year: 82.6% Third year: 68.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 82.6% Fifth year: 90.6% Sixth year: 81.9%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that the majority of students answered that repeating the dose contributes to the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics at a rate of 85.4%, and thus the students\u0026rsquo; awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 75% Second year: 73.9% Third year: 80.7%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 88.4% Fifth year: 93.025 Sixth year: 93.05%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe conclude that most of the students\u0026rsquo; answers were 45.4% for the period of 7 days, which is sufficient time to use antibiotics, and the percentage of answers is similar for 14 days at 23.7% and 5 days at 22%. The students\u0026rsquo; awareness rate is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst year: 65% Second year: 39.1% Third year: 36.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFourth year: 38.4% Fifth year: 51.1% Sixth year: 55.6%\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eAntibiotics are among the most commonly used medications at the present time, as they work to treat infections caused by bacteria, prevent the spread of diseases, and reduce serious complications following surgery, but the excessive use of antibiotics is a major factor in the emergence of resistance to them, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, the majority Their uses are not necessary or appropriate, as most diseases may be prescribed to treat antibiotics without conducting a culture and sensitivity test, and therefore the World Health Organization (FDA) announced a global week to raise awareness of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the period from November 18 to 24 of each year. Administration of antibiotics can help in maintaining their effectiveness, adhering to a treatment period of no less than 7 days, and not dispensing them by doctors without conducting a culture test, which leads to ensuring the provision of effective treatments against bacteria and reducing the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Based on unsatisfactory results, it should be Holding scientific seminars to raise awareness of the dangers of indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics, increasing awareness of the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance at the global level, and reducing indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics without resorting to bacterial culture to find out which antibiotic is best for eliminating the bacterial cell and thus reducing the emergence of bacterial resistant strains.Previous global studies.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Research Ethics Committee in the Syrian Private University and the ethical committees in the concerned Syrian private university approved the study protocol. Verbal informed consent was obtained from every participant before participation. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were by the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data related to this paper\u0026rsquo;s conclusion are available and stored by the authors. All data are available from the corresponding author on a reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research received no specific grant from SPU or any other funding agency in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eL.I and J.I conceptualized the study L.I and J.I wrote the study protocol, performed the statistical analysis, participated in data collection, and did the literature search. L.I participated in the literature search, interpret the results, wrote the main manuscript, H.B. revised the draft. All authors read and approved the final draft.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are thankful to the management of the Syrian Private University and for their support in the field of medical training and research, We would also like to thank Dr. Housam bardan for his help and supervision in the paper.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBronzwaer, S.; Lonnroth, A. and Haigh, R. (2004) The European Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance. Euro. Surveill. 9: 1\u0026ndash;3.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNiederman, MS. (2001) Impact of antibiotic resistance on clinical outcomes and the cost of care. Crit Care Med., 29: N114\u0026ndash;N120.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[{"identity":"3aeac19c-c9fd-4567-a9ee-76e9ef05bce0","identifier":"10.13039/501100003108","name":"Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung","awardNumber":"0996066591","order_by":0}],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Syrian Private University","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Antibiotics, respiratory infections, Syrian Private University","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground and aim of the research:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe use and selection of appropriate antibiotics in respiratory infections is extremely important. The current study aimed to determine the awareness of medical students at the Syrian Private University about the use of antibiotics in respiratory infections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods and materials:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSamples were collected at the Syrian Private University through an electronic questionnaire that was distributed to the special groups of the Syrian Private University. The samples were analyzed using the SPSS program during official working hours. The sample selection method was convenience sampling. Our required sample size was 295, which met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and design. The study is cross-sectional.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study included (295) students, most of whom were sixth-year students (25.8%). Most of the students used both azithromycin and amoxicillin. Most students answered that antibiotics should be used when suffering from pneumonia (96.5%) and acute bronchitis (45.8%). Most of the students answered that green sputum is evidence of a bacterial infection and antibiotics should be used (30.1%), the ideal treatment for acute bronchitis is antibiotics (50.8%), the optimal treatment for purulent sinusitis and rhinitis is antibiotics (61.4%), and the ideal treatment for the common cold is antibiotics (62.7%), and antibiotics are used for asthma attacks, tonsillitis, and laryngitis (44.1%, 75.6%, 45.5%).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe awareness rate was higher among sixth and fifth year students for each type of antibiotic used. Antibiotics must be prescribed in the case of bacterial pneumonia. The green color of the sputum is evidence of a bacterial infection. Treating purulent sinusitis is with antibiotics. Treating colds is symptomatic. Purulent tonsillitis is treated with antibiotics.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Awareness of Syrian Private University students about the Use of antibiotics for respiratory infections","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2023-10-25 10:40:01","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3485632/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7d0a0c7a-5e6a-479b-95e5-db805ed65129","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 25th, 2023","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":25610432,"name":"Pulmonology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2023-10-25T10:40:01+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2023-10-25 10:40:01","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3485632","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3485632","identity":"rs-3485632","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}