title: Perceptions of medical students towards antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This survey evaluates knowledge, attitudes and practices of medical students towards use of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections (URTIs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional questionnaire study among 1042 randomly selected medical students in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents were mostly Saudis (97.5%), had previous knowledge of antibiotics (99.7%) and their usage (98.3%) against bacterial infections (93.7%). 18.1% thought that they could be used for viral infections. Nearly all students (97.2%) used antibiotics themselves during the previous year and self-medication without a prescription was high at 49% of cases. Most antibiotics were taken for URTI symptoms (61.8%). Female medical students had better knowledge on antibiotic effectiveness against bacteria and viruses, and overall knowledge increased with study year. Health seeking behaviour rates for symptoms of RTI and associated estimated necessity for antibiotics varied but were highest for cough with yellow/green phlegm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The depth of knowledge that healthcare professionals have in relation to the proper use of antibiotics is essential in spreading the right message within communities. This is the first large study among medical students in Saudi Arabia, shedding important light on areas for improvement in the medical curriculum as well as antibiotic practices of medical students themselves.
authors.affiliation: Special Infectious Agents Unit , King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harakeh
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affair, Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Musab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almatrafi
authors.affiliation: Manchester , UK.
authors.forename: Haifa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ungapen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric , King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rotana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hammad
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Umm Alqura University, Makkah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Feras
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Olayan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, National Guard Hospital , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Reema
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hakim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric, National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayoub
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Umm Alqura University, Makkah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Noura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bakhsh
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Saad B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Almasaudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Adjunct to Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Production of Bioproducts for Industrial Application Research Group, King Abdulaziz Univeristy, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.affiliation: King Fahd Medical Research Center , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Suhad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bahijri
authors.affiliation: Special Infectious Agents Unit , King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Esam
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azhar
authors.affiliation: King Fahd Medical Research Center , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghazi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Damanhouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Yousef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qari
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Taha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumosani
authors.affiliation: Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Zeena
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Harakeh
authors.affiliation: Drug Metabolism Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Muhammad S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Jochen W L
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cals
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, School of Primary Care and Public Health (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: JochenW L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cals
keywords: Bacterial Infection; Health Economist; Pleural Disease; Respiratory Infection; Viral infection