Alian A Alrasheedy1, Muath A Alsalloum1, Feras A Almuqbil1, Muaath A Almuzaini1, Bandar S Aba Alkhayl1, Ahmed S Albishri1, Faisal F Alharbi1, Saleh R Alharbi1, Abdullah K Alodhayb1, Abubakr A Alfadl2, Brian Godman3,4,5,6, Ruaraidh Hill7, Mohammed S Anaam2. 1. Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. 2. Department of Pharmacy Practice, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. 3. Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. 4. Health Economics Centre, University of Liverpool Management School, Liverpool, UK. 5. Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. 6. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. 7. Evidence synthesis, Health Services Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
Background: Dispensing of antibiotics without a prescription (DAwP) has been widely practised among community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia despite being illegal. However, in May 2018, the law and regulations were enforced alongside fines. Consequently, we wanted to evaluate the impact of these changes. Methods: A study was conducted among 116 community pharmacies in two phases. A pre-law enforcement phase between December 2017 and March 2018 and a post-law enforcement phase one year later. Each phase consisted of a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey and a simulated client method (SCM) approach. In the SCM, clients presented with either pharyngitis or urinary tract infections (UTI). In SCM, for each phase, all 116 pharmacies were visited with one of the scenarios. Results: Before the law enforcement, 70.7% of community pharmacists reported that DAwP was common with 96.6% and 87.7% of participating pharmacies dispensed antibiotics without a prescription for pharyngitis and UTI respectively. After the law enforcement, only 12.9% reported that DAwP is still a common practice, with only 12.1% and 5.2% dispensing antibiotics without prescriptions for pharyngitis and UTI respectively. Conclusion: law enforcement was effective. However, there is still further scope for improvement. This could include further educational activities with pharmacists, physicians and the public.
Background: Dispensing of antibiotics without a prescription (DAwP) has been widely practised among community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia despite being illegal. However, in May 2018, the law and regulations were enforced alongside fines. Consequently, we wanted to evaluate the impact of these changes. Methods: A study was conducted among 116 community pharmacies in two phases. A pre-law enforcement phase between December 2017 and March 2018 and a post-law enforcement phase one year later. Each phase consisted of a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey and a simulated client method (SCM) approach. In the SCM, clients presented with either pharyngitis or urinary tract infections (UTI). In SCM, for each phase, all 116 pharmacies were visited with one of the scenarios. Results: Before the law enforcement, 70.7% of community pharmacists reported that DAwP was common with 96.6% and 87.7% of participating pharmacies dispensed antibiotics without a prescription for pharyngitis and UTI respectively. After the law enforcement, only 12.9% reported that DAwP is still a common practice, with only 12.1% and 5.2% dispensing antibiotics without prescriptions for pharyngitis and UTI respectively. Conclusion: law enforcement was effective. However, there is still further scope for improvement. This could include further educational activities with pharmacists, physicians and the public.
Entities:
Keywords:
Dispensing antibiotics without prescriptions; Saudi Arabia; community pharmacy; health policy; law enforcement
Authors: Souhib Mohammed Youssef; Mohamed Saddik Zaghloul; Mohammed Fayez Ahmed; Abdul Nasser Ahmed Barmo; Asghar Mehdi Muhammed Mehdi; Nazmus Saquib Journal: SAGE Open Med Date: 2020-11-27
Authors: Saad Alhumaid; Abbas Al Mutair; Zainab Al Alawi; Ahmad J Alzahrani; Mansour Tobaiqy; Ahmed M Alresasi; Ibrahim Bu-Shehab; Issa Al-Hadary; Naif Alhmeed; Mossa Alismail; Ahmed H Aldera; Fadhil AlHbabi; Haifa Al-Shammari; Ali A Rabaan; Awad Al-Omari Journal: Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob Date: 2021-06-12 Impact factor: 3.944