Parental perception of antibiotic use in children at home: a cross-sectional study.
Glaubervania Alves Lima, Francisca Elisângela Teixeira Lima, Luis Angel Cendejas Medina and 5 others
PMID 41259482WHAT IT FOUND
Most parents reported appropriate antibiotic beliefs, but 14.8% bought antibiotics without a prescription and 50.7% said doctors did not explain their child’s condition well.
Higher education and income were linked to better knowledge, behavior and adherence.
Key findings
01Most parents gave appropriate responses on knowledge, behaviors, adherence and awareness of antibiotic resistance, but 14.8% admitted buying antibiotics for their child without a prescription.
02Parents relied on their own previous experiences (51.2%), online research (37.3%) and books or scientific literature (28.7%), and 50.7% said doctors did not provide satisfactory information about their child’s health status.
03Higher education and income were associated with better knowledge, behavior and adherence, while correlations with income were weak.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study surveyed parents in one city and used school-based and snowball recruitment, so the sample may not represent other families. Parents reported their own beliefs and past behavior, which can be affected by memory and social desirability. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that education or income caused better antibiotic knowledge or behavior. The correlations with income were weak, so the observed differences should not be overread. Participants were parents of children who had already used antibiotics at home, not all families with children.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel - Brazil. The supplied text does not report conflict-of-interest declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a nurse-delivered education programme will improve antibiotic use. This study measured parents’ perceptions and past behavior at one time point, and the education and income differences were associations, not tested effects.