Patients' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Use

Antibiotics revolutionized the platform for medical developments and are indispensable around the world. Triumphs in modern medicine such as cancer chemotherapy and surgery would have been impossible without the use of effective treatment for bacterial infections. However, globally, several previously susceptible bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics. The World Health Organization defines antibiotic resistance as the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of antibiotic treatment to which they were once sensitive to. Antibiotic resistance has become a serious threat to public health. Antibiotic resistance has resulted in prolonged illness and hospital stays due to the challenges in treating infections and resulting increased mortality and morbidity has financial implications for the individual as well as the healthcare system. The World Health Organization has referred to the 21st century as the post-antibiotic era in which minor injuries and common infections can threaten the lives and the general well-being of all populations. South Africa is faced with an increasing burden of antibiotic resistance.