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Antibiotic Treatments for Short-term Morbidity in India
The proportion of patients receiving antibiotic treatment for short-term morbidity in India is estimated using nationally representative survey data, the Indian Human Development Survey conducted in 2011–12. It is found that antibiotic usage varies across different parameters: the types of symptoms, the primary source providing medical advice/ treatment, number of days the patient was ill, age group of the patient, and the month in which the survey was conducted.
Rational use of antibiotics is of vital concern in the area of public health. Underuse and overuse of antibiotics both have important long-term implications for human health. An important concern related to excessive usage of antibiotics is that it tends to increase the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant populations of bacteria (Laxminarayan and Chaudhury 2016). Overuse of antibiotics, thus, could reduce its clinical value, though access to antibiotics is also essential for dealing with several diseases. This means that responsible use of antibiotics would involve dealing with dual obligations: to make the clinical value of antibiotics accessible to all today, and simultaneously to maintain its clinical value for future (Dyar et al 2016).
In this sense, antibiotic usage poses one of the most complex challenges related to sustainable access of resources across generations. There are various efforts being made to deal with this intricate problem.1 A key to addressing this challenge is the understanding of the current levels and patterns of usage of antibiotics. This article is an attempt in this direction and it estimates the proportion of patients using antibiotics in India with the help of nationally representative household survey data.
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