Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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TREATMENT OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS: STUDY ON PATIENTS’ BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES

ALEKSANDAR JOVANOVIĆ 1,4*, MILICA DROBAC 2, BOJANA VIDOVIĆ 3, DUŠANKA KRAJNOVIĆ 1, DRAGANA PAVLOVIĆ 4, IVANA TADIĆ 1,5

1Department of Social Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, Serbia
2 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, Serbia
3 Department of BromatologyFaculty of Pharmacy, , University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, Serbia
4 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Blvd. Dr Zorana Djindjica 81, Serbia5
5 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Innrain 52, Austria

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The present study investigated patients' opinions and attitudes regarding the use of antibiotics and plant-based products in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study, using a validated questionnaire for data collection. The results indicate that the majority of respondents considered antibiotics (74.3%) and plant-based products (87.9%) to be effective in treating UTIs, while approximately half of the participants evaluated plant-based products as being more effective than antibiotics. Additionally, over 50% of respondents believed that plant-based products could be administered concomitantly with other medications. Regarding the treatments used, patients who exhibited UTI symptoms were treated with antibiotics in 63.9% of cases, while 78.6% also used plant-based products. Data analysis revealed that patients who perceived plant-based products as more effective than antibiotics were 40.4% less likely to use antibiotics and 138.2% more likely to opt for plant-based products. Furthermore, positive beliefs regarding the efficacy, safety, and compatibility of concomitant administration with other medications, along with access to adequate information, significantly increased the use of plant-based products.