What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are medicines 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. 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 because the bacteria will start to resist them, creating a problem called antibiotic resistance, which has been an ongoing issue in Qatar. Patients should have a regular family doctor and spread awareness of antibiotic resistance by covering and reporting more news stories.
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 are afraid to say no to higher-ups since it may cause problems for the doctors, which was observed in an interview that I did with Dr.Fatma Alkhayat who is a doctor at Hamad Medical Corporation. She said a story that states, "on a regular day in the office at HMC (Hamad Medical Corp), a mother who was the caregiver for her daughter and well known in the hospital was visiting a doctor for her chronically ill daughter. And, with a quick glance by the doctor at her last name, he dictated how the visit would go since he knew that he did not have the power to say no. anyhow, the mother said to the doctor that she wanted antibiotics for her daughter's ear. So the doctor went and checked the patient's ear and found out that there was no need to give her antibiotic since there were no signs of infections. However, the patient's mother insisted on the antibiotics since she claims to know better about her daughter." when I asked Dr.Alkhayat about the signs that the mother saw on her daughter to demand antibiotics, she responded with "There were no signs of infection that she saw on her daughter. She had finished the bottle of antibiotics, and she came to get a renewal. Furthermore, the mother said that the infection would come if her daughter does not take antibiotics. So the doctor felt pressured to give out the antibiotics and could not say no to the mother since she came from a higher up family." This story shows how doctors are sometimes pressured and forced to give antibiotics to protect their job and work.
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. 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.
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 are afraid to say no to higher-ups since it may cause problems for the doctors, which was observed in an interview that I did with Dr.Fatma Alkhayat who is a doctor at Hamad Medical Corporation. She said a story that states, "on a regular day in the office at HMC (Hamad Medical Corp), a mother who was the caregiver for her daughter and well known in the hospital was visiting a doctor for her chronically ill daughter. And, with a quick glance by the doctor at her last name, he dictated how the visit would go since he knew that he did not have the power to say no. anyhow, the mother said to the doctor that she wanted antibiotics for her daughter's ear. So the doctor went and checked the patient's ear and found out that there was no need to give her antibiotic since there were no signs of infections. However, the patient's mother insisted on the antibiotics since she claims to know better about her daughter." when I asked Dr.Alkhayat about the signs that the mother saw on her daughter to demand antibiotics, she responded with "There were no signs of infection that she saw on her daughter. She had finished the bottle of antibiotics, and she came to get a renewal. Furthermore, the mother said that the infection would come if her daughter does not take antibiotics. So the doctor felt pressured to give out the antibiotics and could not say no to the mother since she came from a higher up family." This story shows how doctors are sometimes pressured and forced to give antibiotics to protect their job and work.
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. 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. As was supported by the opinions of the people in Qatar that said "Well, when health clinics nationwide start handing them out like candy,, you'd expect something like this to happen." 'Duh!' said another. Should that come as a surprise? Worlds most incompetent doctors end up in Qatar, give out Antibiotics for any small ailment!' These remarks demonstrate that doctors frequently prescribe antibiotics when they are not required, contributing to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
The second most common reason for why patients demand antibiotics, 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 relax. Dr. Al-Khayat saw this when a mother brought her child to HMC (Hamad Medical Corp) with bronchitis, which is frequent among children who attend daycare. Fever, cough occasionally linked with vomiting, irritability, runny nose, and chills are all signs of this illness. As a result, during her emergency visit, she was given medication for symptomatic relief, such as Panadol for fever, which she was instructed to take every few hours or so. She was told to wait it out. She then returned after about two days and sought out another doctor; it was clear that she was fatigued from a lack of sleep and caring for her child, and she was under the impression that antibiotics would provide her with quick relief. She is not going to take no for an answer. As a result, doctors find it challenging to inform/argue that antibiotics are not the proper medication in such cases. Furthermore, according to Dr. Al-Khayat's perspective on why this patient and many others desire antibiotics, "they want to feel as if they are doing something to help themselves or the people they care about, but viruses have no cure. It is difficult for a family member to witness their loved one in that situation without attempting to administer "appropriate" medicine."
The second most common reason for why patients demand antibiotics, 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 relax. Dr. Al-Khayat saw this when a mother brought her child to HMC (Hamad Medical Corp) with bronchitis, which is frequent among children who attend daycare. Fever, cough occasionally linked with vomiting, irritability, runny nose, and chills are all signs of this illness. As a result, during her emergency visit, she was given medication for symptomatic relief, such as Panadol for fever, which she was instructed to take every few hours or so. She was told to wait it out. She then returned after about two days and sought out another doctor; it was clear that she was fatigued from a lack of sleep and caring for her child, and she was under the impression that antibiotics would provide her with quick relief. She is not going to take no for an answer. As a result, doctors find it challenging to inform/argue that antibiotics are not the proper medication in such cases. Furthermore, according to Dr. Al-Khayat's perspective on why this patient and many others desire antibiotics, "they want to feel as if they are doing something to help themselves or the people they care about, but viruses have no cure. It is difficult for a family member to witness their loved one in that situation without attempting to administer "appropriate" medicine."
On the other hand, others argue that in the event of an emergency, patients may not always be able to book an appointment with their regular family doctor. While this is true in the event of an emergency, they cannot rely on their family doctor for an appointment. They can, however, make an appointment to follow up on their prescription and revise it following their emergency. People can also call their family doctor without making an appointment to review or follow up on their medicine. This will lead to a reduction of the antibiotics given to patients since the family doctor will know the history of the patients and whether they need to take antibiotics or not.
Finally, It is essential to put a regular family doctor for patients and spread awareness on the problem of antibiotics resistance. As seen by the reasons that many doctors give out antibiotics because of pressure or wrong diagnosis , therefore, having a regular family doctor would eliminate this problem since they would know their patient's history. Moreover, a-lot of patients take antibiotics without asking what they might need it for or they take it because they believe that it would cure their illness fast. This shows that there is very little education for people on antibiotics and the severe effects that it can have on the body. Thus, more awareness should be spread by news outlets so that people can have up to date information on it.