Determinants of dispensing antibiotics without prescription in Eritrea: a mixed-method qualitative study on pharmacy professionals’ perspective

OBJECTIVE: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge. Dispensing of antibiotics without prescription (DAWP), a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, is extensive in Eritrea. This study was, therefore, aimed at deeply understanding, qualitatively, the pharmacy professionals’ perspective on the factors that trigger DAWP and how this practice could be mitigated. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory study design was employed. SETTING: Drug retail outlets of Asmara, capital of Eritrea, and pharmaceutical services of Eritrea. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty pharmacy professionals who were owners and employees of the drug retail outlets stationed in Asmara and six key informants from the pharmaceutical services of all administrative regions of Eritrea, selected purposively, were the study participants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The data were collected using focus group discussions and key informant interviews between March and September 2020. The collected data were transcribed verbatim, translated to English and finally thematically analysed using an inductive approach. RESULTS: The main triggering factors were related to the drug retail outlet owners, dispensers, healthcare system and patients. Knowledge and attitude-based motivation, economic interest, inadequate services in health facilities, weak regulatory enforcement, inadequate training, trust and satisfaction of patients, previous successful experience, seriousness of a condition and saving time and money were reported among others as determinants of DAWP. CONCLUSIONS: The triggering factors to DAWP were found to be very complex and some of them were important that might require immediate attention from policymakers. Ensuring readily available and accessible healthcare services, empowering medicines regulation and continuing sensitisation of dispensers are highly recommended to minimise DAWP.