EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH EDUCATION ON PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE ON THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION IN KLUWIH VILLAGE

Abstrak

The use of antibiotics without a prescription remains a significant public health issue in Indonesia. Misperceptions and lack of knowledge about antibiotics are the main causes of the practice of using antibiotics without a prescription which is at risk of bacterial resistance. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of health education provided by pharmacists in improving public perception and knowledge about the proper use of antibiotics. This study used a one-group pre-test and post-test design to 53 respondents in Kluwih village, Batang district, Central Java. The instrument used was a perception questionnaire (Linkert scale) and knowledge (Guttman scale). Data analysis was conducted using paired samples t-test using SPSS software. The results showed a significant increase in perception and knowledge scores after health education with a significance value of 0,000 (p-value <0.05). Participatory health education has been proven effective in increasing public understanding of rational antibiotic use and has the potential to reduce the practice of using antibiotics without a prescription