Table 4 Findings from the focus group
Low socioeconomic group | Long term migrants who speak Arabic at home | Mothers with young children group | Long term migrants who speak Chinese at home | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Antibiotics IS… | What WORKS. Cheaper than other Cold and Flu medications. | Most POTENT medication (‘magic elixir’). We are OBSESSED with it. | A GOD-send especially for the KIDS. I can’t cope without it. | For serious Bacterial infection. You can build up resistance, but I prefer to take it when I ‘have to’. |
I’ve heard/ | • My GP keeps saying take it only when you get worse | • Prevention better than cure! | • Young children recover faster with antibiotics | • In China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan doctors will administer antibiotic intravenously at first sign of any illness) • People who use antibiotics frequently when they are not seriously ill develop antibiotic resistance • Of super bugs, resistant to antibiotics |
I believe… | • It only works on bacteria or virus… germs in general (like Ebola) • You shouldn’t take it all the time (but I don’t really understand why? - I’ve been taking it regularly for 20 years and it’s worked!) | • Of antibiotic resistance, the doctors will put you onto stronger doses or change the brand/type of antibiotics • Some people I know is now resistant, Amoxyl doesn’t work anymore on them | • Kids can develop pneumonia from the common cold if left untreated with antibiotics • Of antibiotic resistance, but it’s alright because I only use it when we are very sick | |
I EXPECT Antibiotics when… | • Winter months when lots of people get sick with cold and flu • I can feel ‘it’ coming (scratchy sore throat, if I don’t nib it in the bud, it’ll take me 2 weeks to recover) | • I KNOW my child/my body is going to get worse (I know my body or child’s body better than the GP) | • Kids are sick for more than 3 days • Kids get the same illness (like croup) all the time • Especially winter months, daycare is filled with sick kids and germs • Bacterial infection | • I have a serious illness or bacterial infection • GP says I have a 60–60 % chance my illness could be caused by bacteria or virus • I’ve waited for more than an hour at the GP |
Therefore I ASK for Antibiotics BECAUSE… | • I KNOW it works (as it has many time in the PAST!) • They put me on the ‘stronger dose’/changed the brand (they can keep introducing new ‘brands’ anyway) | • I know if I nip it in the bud with antibiotics straight-away, my child will recover faster than without it • I feel more SECURE when I take it | • My child can’t recover (quickly) without it • I can’t cope with all 4 of my kids sick at home (domino effect) • I need to get back to work (and can’t take so many days off to look after sick children) | • I want a TANGIBLE BENEFIT to compensate for my time (in the waiting room) • Security just in-case I get worse, I don’t want the inconvenience of re-visiting the GP |
When the GP gives me a script and say fill it later, I… | • Filled it straight away! Why would I wait until it gets worse? | • I wait and monitor my condition and will only fill the antibiotic script if I don’t get better | ||
Others like me… | • Everyone takes it more in winter • They take a few and stop when they get better • Buy them in bulk from overseas | • My family and friends take antibiotics even more than I do • My family takes it like multi-vitamins • Stop when I feel better/ Save left-over doses for emergency | • Mums who don’t work can afford to stay at home with their sick kids, so they probably don’t need to give their kids antibiotics as often as I do | • Buys in bulk from overseas and self-medicate for conditions such as back pain |
I WORRY about… | • Thrush, diarrhoea • I’m now resistant to a few of the antibiotics • Expense | • Thrush, diarrhoea | • Kids have tummy upsets (constipation or diarrhoea) • Killing off all the good bacteria • Antibiotic resistant super bugs | • Killing off all the good bacteria • Antibiotic resistant super bugs • Being prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily |