| Title |
Non-prescribed sale of antibiotics for acute childhood diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infection in community pharmacies: a 2 phase mixed-methods study
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, July 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1186/s13756-018-0389-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Daniel Asfaw Erku, Sisay Yifru Aberra |
| Abstract |
Although prohibited by law and legal regulatory frameworks, non-prescribed sale of antibiotics in community medicine retail outlets (CMROs) remains a serious problem in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to document the extent of and motivations behind non-prescribed sale of antibiotics among CMROs in Gondar town, Ethiopia. A 2 phase mixed-methods study (a simulated patient visit followed by an in-depth interview) was conducted among CMROs in Gondar town, Ethiopia. Two clinical case scenarios (acute childhood diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infection) were presented and the practice of non-prescribed sale were measured and results were reported as percentages. Pharmacy staff (pharmacists and pharmacy assistants) were interviewed to examine factors/motivations behind dispensing antibiotics without a valid prescription. Out of 100 simulated visits (50 each scenarios) presented to drug retail outlets, 86 cases (86%) were provided with one or more medications. Of these, 18 (20.9%) asked about past medical and medication history and only 7 (8.1%) enquired about the patient's history of drug allergy. The most frequently dispensed medication for acute childhood diarrhoea simulation were oral rehydration fluid (ORS) with zinc (n = 16) and Metronidazole (n = 15). Among the dispensed antibiotics for upper respiratory infection simulation, the most common was Amoxicillin (n = 23) followed by Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid capsule (n = 19) and Azithromycin (n = 15). Perceived financial benefit, high expectation and/or demand of customers and competition among pharmacies were cited as the main drivers behind selling antibiotics without a prescription. A stringent law and policy enforcement regarding the sale of antibiotics without a valid prescription should be in place. This will ultimately help to shift the current pharmacy practices from commercial and business-based interests/practices to the provision of primary healthcare services to the community. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | 33% |
| Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 33% |
| Scientists | 1 | 33% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 114 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 114 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 13 | 11% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 11% |
| Student > Bachelor | 10 | 9% |
| Researcher | 9 | 8% |
| Other | 6 | 5% |
| Other | 13 | 11% |
| Unknown | 50 | 44% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 19 | 17% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 13 | 11% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 6 | 5% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 5% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 4% |
| Other | 17 | 15% |
| Unknown | 48 | 42% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 02 April 2022.
All research outputs
#15,173,117
of 25,377,790 outputs
Outputs from Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control
#903
of 1,456 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#179,867
of 340,692 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control
#32
of 36 outputs
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