Although national and international guidelines have strongly discouraged use of antibiotics to treat COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms, antibiotics are frequently being used. This study aimed to determine antibiotics-prescribing practices among Bangladeshi physicians in treating COVID-19 patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among physicians involved in treating COVID-19 patients. During September-November 2021, data were collected from 511 respondents through an online Google Form and hardcopies of self-administered questionnaires. We used descriptive statistics and a regression model to identify the prevalence of prescribing antibiotics among physicians and associated factors influencing their decision making. Out of 511 enrolled physicians, 94.13% prescribed antibiotics to COVID-19 patients irrespective of disease severity. All physicians working in COVID-19-dedicated hospitals and 87% for those working in outpatient wards used antibiotics to treat COVID-19 patients. The majority (90%) of physicians reported that antibiotics should be given to COVID-19 patients with underlying respiratory conditions. The most prescribed antibiotics were meropenem, moxifloxacin, and azithromycin. Our study demonstrated high use of antibiotics for treatment of COVID-19 patients irrespective of disease severity and the duty ward of study physicians. Evidence-based interventions to promote judicious use of antibiotics for treating COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh may help in reducing an overuse of antibiotics.
Keywords: Bangladesh; COVID-19; antibiotics; antimicrobial resistance; physicians; treatment.