Parental Knowledge On Upper Respiratory Tract Infection And Its Treatment

Basariah Naina, and Mohd Baidi Bahari, (2004) Parental Knowledge On Upper Respiratory Tract Infection And Its Treatment. Malaysian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2 (1). pp. 1-7. ISSN 1675-7319

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Affiliations

Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dept. of Pharmacy.
Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Abstract

A survey was carried out among parents of children who sought treatment at the Seremban Health Centre, Rasah Road, Negeri Sembilan to assess their knowledge on upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and its treatment and 239 parents were selected randomly and participated in the survey. The result showed that the majority of respondents did not know the causes of URTI. Only 0.8% knew that virus is the usual cause of URTI and only 0.4% had heard about antibiotic resistance. Most did not ask the doctor about their children's illness. A good proportion of parents (56.5%) had never heard about paracetamol but many knew about Panadol®. However, 93.7% had heard of antibiotic before. Many (59.4%) gave antibiotics to their children based on hourly intervals instead of the frequency of administration. About 40.2% of respondents used tablespoon to administer medication to their children. 82% of the respondents said they gave antibiotics after food. Overall, the study showed that the level of knowledge among parents on URTI and its treatments were inadequate. Necessary steps to improve parental knowledge is recommended.

Item Type:

Journal

Keywords:

Parental knowledge, URTI, Treatment, Malaysia, Seremban Health Centre, Negeri Sembilan, respiratory tract infection

Subjects:

R Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing

ID Code:

6825