Article Text
Abstract
Background There are concerns with the extent of dispensing of antibiotics among community pharmacists in Pakistan often without a prescription adding to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates.
Objective To explore the determinants of AMR and the pattern of antimicrobial dispensing among community pharmacists.
Design In this qualitative study design, a semistructured interview guide was developed based on an in-depth review of published papers. Audio-recorded interviews with transcripts were analysed by thematic content analysis.
Setting Interviews were conducted among community pharmacists in Lahore, Pakistan.
Participants In order to obtain individual points of view, in-depth face-to-face interviews with purposively selected pharmacists were conducted.
Results A total of 12 pharmacists were interviewed for the study. After analysis, four major themes emerged: (1) knowledge and perception of community pharmacists about antimicrobials, (2) antimicrobial dispensing practices of community pharmacists, (3) determinants of AMR, (4) potential interventions to control AMR. Most of the pharmacists have limited knowledge about AMR, antimicrobial stewardship programmes and related guidelines. However, all the pharmacists strongly agreed that different appropriate actions should be taken in order to rationalise future antimicrobial use.
Conclusion The results indicated that irrational antimicrobial dispensing and use is common among community pharmacists in Pakistan owing to lack of knowledge. The community pharmacists perceived that behaviour of patients and the societal environment contributed to irrational antimicrobial use and subsequent development of AMR. They suggested a need for a multidisciplinary framework in order to improve future antimicrobial use and reduce AMR in Pakistan.
- drug resistance
- microbial
- antimicrobial stewardship
- community pharmacists
- Pakistan
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Footnotes
Contributors Conceptualisation: ZS, MH. Methodology: ZS, FS. Formal analysis: ZS, FH. Writing—original draft: ZS. Writing—review and editing: BG, FH. Approval of final manuscript: all authors.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data availability statement There are no data in this work.