Volume 34, Issue 4, November 2021, Pages 769–778
Emmanuel Busha Tibasima1, Prudence Mitangala Ndeba2, Olivier Vandenberg3, and Baudouin Byl4
1 Faculté de médecine, Université Libre des Pays des Grands lacs (ULPGL), RD Congo
2 Faculté de médecine, Université Officielle de Ruwenzori (UOR), RD Congo
3 Ecole de Santé Publique, Université libre de Bruxelles (ESP-ULB), Belgium
4 Clinique d’épidémiologie et hygiène hospitalière, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium
Original language: English
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: Global action plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance include implementation of antimicrobial stewardship, but little is known about the dispensing practices of antibiotics of community pharmacists in low and middle-income countries. In this study, we aim to assess the dispensing of antibiotics for paediatric use in pharmacies in the City of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.Method: Between June and December 2017, we performed a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey with pharmacy managers about antibiotic dispensing to the paediatric population.Result: Among a total of 225 pharmacies identified, 84% were managed by nurses. 70% of pharmacy managers had absolved secondary school. Only 10% of pharmacies were owned by pharmacists or physicians. 76% of antibiotics for children were prescribed after families asking for them and only 21% after a recommendation from the pharmacy manager. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic - 78% cases. 81% of pharmacy managers had no supervision by a pharmacist from the pharmacy division. There was no significant difference in requiring or not between a physician prescription to deliver antibiotics in children and the qualifications of pharmacy managers (P=0. 28), their level of school education (P=0.42).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is a lack of regulation and consistency in the approach to dispensing antibiotics in children. A policy is needed to regulate the dispensing of antibiotics along with education and training to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Author Keywords: Antibiotics, Issue, Pharmacies, City of Goma.
Emmanuel Busha Tibasima1, Prudence Mitangala Ndeba2, Olivier Vandenberg3, and Baudouin Byl4
1 Faculté de médecine, Université Libre des Pays des Grands lacs (ULPGL), RD Congo
2 Faculté de médecine, Université Officielle de Ruwenzori (UOR), RD Congo
3 Ecole de Santé Publique, Université libre de Bruxelles (ESP-ULB), Belgium
4 Clinique d’épidémiologie et hygiène hospitalière, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium
Original language: English
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: Global action plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance include implementation of antimicrobial stewardship, but little is known about the dispensing practices of antibiotics of community pharmacists in low and middle-income countries. In this study, we aim to assess the dispensing of antibiotics for paediatric use in pharmacies in the City of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.Method: Between June and December 2017, we performed a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey with pharmacy managers about antibiotic dispensing to the paediatric population.Result: Among a total of 225 pharmacies identified, 84% were managed by nurses. 70% of pharmacy managers had absolved secondary school. Only 10% of pharmacies were owned by pharmacists or physicians. 76% of antibiotics for children were prescribed after families asking for them and only 21% after a recommendation from the pharmacy manager. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic - 78% cases. 81% of pharmacy managers had no supervision by a pharmacist from the pharmacy division. There was no significant difference in requiring or not between a physician prescription to deliver antibiotics in children and the qualifications of pharmacy managers (P=0. 28), their level of school education (P=0.42).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is a lack of regulation and consistency in the approach to dispensing antibiotics in children. A policy is needed to regulate the dispensing of antibiotics along with education and training to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
Author Keywords: Antibiotics, Issue, Pharmacies, City of Goma.
How to Cite this Article
Emmanuel Busha Tibasima, Prudence Mitangala Ndeba, Olivier Vandenberg, and Baudouin Byl, “Dispensing antibiotics for children in the City of Goma, DRC: A cross-sectional survey,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 769–778, November 2021.
