New study reveals incoherent public awareness of antibiotic resistance in the USA

A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in the USA examined the public’s knowledge and concerns about antibiotic resistance in the US. The survey also evaluated public’s experiences using antibiotics and their interactions with doctors and health care providers. Although the majority of Americans (71%) have heard about antibiotic resistance and about half (53%) know it’s a major public health problem, the public knowledge of the issue is still mixed. Nearly half of the adults (45 %) said they have personally not taken their antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor and more than half of Americans (55%) think that viral infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Overuse and unnecessary use of antibiotics are one of the leading causes of antibiotic resistance but only one-third of the respondents (30%) considered that patients actions also contribute to fixing the problem of antibiotic resistance. In the survey respondents’ view either pharmaceutical companies (59%) or health care providers (56%) carry the main responsibility for addressing issues with antibiotic resistance.

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Find the survey here: https://www.kff.org/other/issue-brief/data-note-public-awareness-antibiotic-resistance/