title: Improving shared decision-making in adolescents through antibiotic education.
abstract: Background Shared decision-making is vital in achieving desired drug therapy goals, especially with antibiotics, in view of the potential long-term reduction in drug resistance. However, shared decision-making is rarely practiced with adolescent patients. Objectives The aim of the study was to identify the effect antibiotic education has on willingness to engage in shared decision-making among adolescents in Malaysia. Setting Participants from secondary schools in Malaysia were enrolled with ethical approval. Method The adolescents answered a validated questionnaire, which included demographics, antibiotic knowledge, attitude towards antibiotic use, and the Control Preference Scale, which measures willingness to engage in shared decision-making. Afterwards, antibiotic education was delivered to participating students. Main outcome measure Knowledge about and attitude toward antibiotics were investigated. Results A total of 510 adolescents participated in the study. Knowledge of antibiotics significantly increased post education (pre 3.2 ± 1.8 vs. post 6.8 ± 2.1, p < 0.001), as did attitude score (pre 3.3 ± 1.7 vs. post 5.4 ± 1.9, p = 0.003). Interestingly, adolescents were less likely to be passively involved in shared decision-making post education (χ = 36.9, df = 2, p < 0.001). Adolescents who were more collaborative in shared decision-making had a significantly higher total antibiotics knowledge and attitude scores compared to those who were not collaborative (p = 0.003). Conclusion The present work demonstrates that antibiotic education improves knowledge, attitude, and willingness to engage in shared decision-making among adolescents. Antibiotic education can therefore be introduced as a strategy to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Ngadimon
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. faridaislahudin@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4450-4361
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Islahudin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohamed Shah
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Md Hatah
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makmor-Bakry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Adolescents; Antibiotic; Education; Malaysia; Shared decision-making