Educational Interventions for Antibiotics Misuse and Self-Medication in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [Protocol

Abstract

Background:
Antibiotics misuse and self-medication remains one of the most serious public health challenges globally. Persistent rise in resistant bacterial infections has been attributed to high prevalence of antibiotics misuse and self-medication. Large volume of literature has emerged describing studies that evaluate the effectiveness of various types and combinations of educational and behavior-modification techniques to reduce antibiotics misuse and self-medication. No previous systemic review has attempted to assess the quality of evidence in public domains on educational strategies aiming to reduce prevalence and improve knowledge, attitude and practice on antibiotics misuse and self-medication in Africa. This study, therefore, intends to assess the quality of evidence presented and determine the effectiveness of health education as an intervention tool for reducing prevalence and improving knowledge and attitude on antibiotics misuse and self-medication among adults in Africa.

Methods:
This study will include published papers on effectiveness of health education in reducing antibiotics misuse and self-medication from 2011-2021. Systematic search for literature will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meat-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to identify published studies based on our predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria in PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Web of Sciences. Two independent reviewers will assess all identified studies and another set of reviewers will extract data for analysis and evidence synthesis.