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Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023

Objective: Describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the sale of antibiotics in pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 277 selected pharmacies using a stratified sampling method with proportional allocation to represent all are...

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Autores principales: Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes, Ramírez Patiño, Daniela, Higuita-Gutiérrez, Luis Felipe
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10525149/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37760752
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12091456
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author Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes
Ramírez Patiño, Daniela
Higuita-Gutiérrez, Luis Felipe
author_facet Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes
Ramírez Patiño, Daniela
Higuita-Gutiérrez, Luis Felipe
author_sort Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes
collection PubMed
description Objective: Describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the sale of antibiotics in pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 277 selected pharmacies using a stratified sampling method with proportional allocation to represent all areas of the city. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) were assessed using a scale, analyzed with absolute and relative frequencies for each item, and represented in a global score ranging from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating better KAPs. Data were analyzed using relative frequencies with 95% confidence intervals, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and linear regression. Results: Of the included pharmacies, 52.6% were chain pharmacies, 48.4% were attended by pharmacy assistants, and 59% of pharmacists had more than 5 years of experience. The median knowledge score was 70.8 (IQR 58.3–87.5), with 35.3% of pharmacists believing that antibiotics are effective in treating the common cold, 35.2% for treating COVID-19, and 29.4% considering them available for sale without a medical prescription. The attitude score was 53.3 (40.0–66.7), with 60.9% agreeing that prohibiting the sale of antibiotics without a prescription would decrease their sales. The practice score was 62.5 (40.0–79.2), with 65.4% of pharmacists stating that they sometimes sell antibiotics without a prescription due to patients struggling to obtain a medical consultation, 61.3% admitting to selling antibiotics without a prescription for urinary tract infections, and 41.3% for upper respiratory tract infections. Practices were predominantly influenced by pharmacy type (chain or independent) and, to a lesser extent, by knowledge and attitudes. Conclusion: Pharmacists in Medellín exhibit inadequate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use and sale of antibiotics without a medical prescription. These findings align with international evidence highlighting the need for educational and regulatory strategies promoting rational antibiotic use in pharmacies.
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spelling pubmed-105251492023-09-28 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023 Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes Ramírez Patiño, Daniela Higuita-Gutiérrez, Luis Felipe Antibiotics (Basel) Article Objective: Describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the sale of antibiotics in pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 277 selected pharmacies using a stratified sampling method with proportional allocation to represent all areas of the city. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) were assessed using a scale, analyzed with absolute and relative frequencies for each item, and represented in a global score ranging from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating better KAPs. Data were analyzed using relative frequencies with 95% confidence intervals, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and linear regression. Results: Of the included pharmacies, 52.6% were chain pharmacies, 48.4% were attended by pharmacy assistants, and 59% of pharmacists had more than 5 years of experience. The median knowledge score was 70.8 (IQR 58.3–87.5), with 35.3% of pharmacists believing that antibiotics are effective in treating the common cold, 35.2% for treating COVID-19, and 29.4% considering them available for sale without a medical prescription. The attitude score was 53.3 (40.0–66.7), with 60.9% agreeing that prohibiting the sale of antibiotics without a prescription would decrease their sales. The practice score was 62.5 (40.0–79.2), with 65.4% of pharmacists stating that they sometimes sell antibiotics without a prescription due to patients struggling to obtain a medical consultation, 61.3% admitting to selling antibiotics without a prescription for urinary tract infections, and 41.3% for upper respiratory tract infections. Practices were predominantly influenced by pharmacy type (chain or independent) and, to a lesser extent, by knowledge and attitudes. Conclusion: Pharmacists in Medellín exhibit inadequate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use and sale of antibiotics without a medical prescription. These findings align with international evidence highlighting the need for educational and regulatory strategies promoting rational antibiotic use in pharmacies. MDPI 2023-09-19 /pmc/articles/PMC10525149/ /pubmed/37760752 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12091456 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Colonia, Daniel Ricardo Montes
Ramírez Patiño, Daniela
Higuita-Gutiérrez, Luis Felipe
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title_full Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title_fullStr Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title_short Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Sales in Pharmacies in Medellín, Colombia 2023
title_sort knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic sales in pharmacies in medellín, colombia 2023
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10525149/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37760752
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12091456
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