The practice and knowledge among community pharmacists about dispensing antibiotics in Egypt; a cross-sectional study | ||
| Microbes and Infectious Diseases | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 03 December 2024 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/mid.2024.330169.2300 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Akram N Salah* 1; Ahmed M Aboelyazed2; Aly M Waseem3; Samy Fouad4; Amr M Abdelfatah3 | ||
| 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City, Cairo 11829, Egypt. | ||
| 2Department of Pharmaceutical chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City 11829, Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 3Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City, Cairo 11829, Egypt. | ||
| 4Pharmacist and Biostatistician, Alexandria University, Cairo, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Antibiotics dispensing without prescription is a common practice in some countries causing several health-related issues such as microbial resistance. Aim: This study aims to assess the level of practices and knowledge among community pharmacists about antibiotic dispensing in some Egyptian governorates’ pharmacies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire to different 5 Egyptian governorates during a period from 28th January to 3rd March 2024. Results: A total of 117 community pharmacists from different community pharmacies participated in the study from different Egyptian governorates with the majority (44.4%) from Cairo. A majority (73.5%) were readily aware that dispensing antibiotics without a prescription is legal in Egypt. Additionally, 94% indicated that dispensing antibiotics without a prescription is a common practice in community pharmacies in Egypt, the most common class (59%) of antibiotics dispensed without a prescription was Penicillin, followed by Cephalosporins with 44.4%, about69.2% of community pharmacists occasionally provide antibiotics without a prescription when requested by a patient. Additionally, 60.7% suggest over-the-counter drugs for patients showing infection symptoms without needing antibiotics, and approximately 84.6% inquire about patients' allergy history before giving out antibiotics without a prescription. Conclusion: The level of knowledge among community pharmacists is high referring to some practices related to antibiotic dispensing with most responses revealing that dispensing antibiotics without a prescription is legal in Egypt. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Knowledge; Practices; Community pharmacists; Antibiotics; Egypt | ||
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