Antibiotics are antibiotics that are used to treat bacterial infections. Infections can be caused by germs or bacteria. Antibiotics have little effect on viral infections. Furthermore, it has the potential to create undesirable side effects. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a natural mechanism for them to live and reproduce. Because bacteria evolve, antibiotics are unable to stop the spread of bacteria because bacteria evolve. If individuals use antibiotics when they do not need them, bacteria can become resistant. Resistant bacteria, sometimes known as "super bacteria," are microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics. So, prescribing antibiotics when they are not needed can cause harmful side effects to patients in the future because the bacteria will start to resist them, creating a problem that is called antibiotic resistance, and this has been an ongoing issue in Qatar. That is why more regulations should be put on giving antibiotics to patients as well as spreading more awareness about it.
To begin with, if antibiotics are given to a patient needlessly, they can cause a range of complications. According to Dr. Al-Soub, this was mentioned in the Doha news. 'Antimicrobial drugs cause microorganisms to adapt to their compounds and evolve resistance traits, making routine treatments less effective,' he explains. As a result of infections produced by drug-resistant germs or viruses, patients are at a higher risk of severe sickness and death.' This news story from Qatar highlights the significant concern about delivering antibiotics to those who do not need them, as well as the potential for harm to the body. And this news report has been a good thing since it spreads awareness on antibiotics resistance. However, this news report was done in 2015 in Qatar, and there have been hardly any more news reports on antibiotics resistance ever since, which makes people less aware of the problem and not see it as a serious concern because of how old this news report is. Additionally, one of the issues that contribute to antibiotic resistance is that doctors prescribe antibiotics when they are not needed, even if they are aware that this may cause a future problem for the patient. This inspired me to look into why doctors prescribe antibiotics when they do not need to. One of the key issues is that doctors are under pressure from their patients' families to prescribe antibiotics, and they do not have time to explain why they are not needed since they have other patients' appointments. Another reason is that doctors are sometimes unsure about a patient's diagnosis, so they prescribe antibiotics as a solution, even if they can cause severe problems for the patient. As happened to a family member of mine when she was nine years old and a doctor could not recognize her symptoms, so he gave her eight pills of an antibiotic, which affected her bones and made them weak (osteoporosis). So they went to another doctor, who advised them that the antibiotics were unnecessary and that they should not have taken them. When the doctor recommended another antibiotic, her body refused to take it, and she developed resistance to it. As a result, she has weak bones and must rely on medication. This story shows how severe the problem of antibiotics is and how they can affect someone's life.
Furthermore, one of the factors contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistance is people's insistence on taking antibiotics even when they are not required. As a result, a research was conducted to determine the psychological reasons why people wish to take them. According to the survey, 21% of people trust their doctor to prescribe antibiotics because they are competent to do so, thus, they seldom ask why they should take them, and this is the most common reason why people take antibiotics when they are not needed.The second most common reason, which accounted for 11% of the total, is that individuals feel better knowing they took antibiotics because they believe it would cure their illness fast and allow them to enjoy their vacation. Last but not least, some people are under pressure from family members to take antibiotics in order to comfort them. This study clearly shows that individuals are unaware of the issue of antibiotic resistance, and as a result, they believe their physicians without questioning why they might require antibiotics since they are unaware of the seriousness of antibiotic resistance. Patients may want antibiotics because they believe it would help them resolve their problem faster which was observed in an interview that I did with Dr.Fatma Alkhayat who is a doctor at Hamad Medical corporation .