Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24621618›Full record

ArticlePloS one2014

Patent medicine dealers and irrational use of medicines in children: the economic cost and implications for reducing childhood mortality in southeast Nigeria.

Benjamin S C Uzochukwu, Obinna E Onwujekwe, Chinenye Okwuosa, Ogochukwu P Ibe

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
8.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Mpox and oral health among children in Africa.Frontiers in oral health · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Benjamin S C UzochukwuDepartment of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria; Department of Health Administration and Management, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria; Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
Obinna E OnwujekweDepartment of Health Administration and Management, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria; Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
Chinenye OkwuosaHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
Ogochukwu P IbeHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu-Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
University of Nigeria · NG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study assessed the economic costs of irrational medicine use by Patent Medicine Dealers (PMDs) for malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhea diseases (DD) in Nigeria. Exit interviews were conducted with 395 respondents who sought care for their children from 15 PMDs in Abakpa district of Enugu state Nigeria. Of the total respondents, 80.0% received treatment for malaria while 12.0% and 8.0% received treatment for DD and ARI respectively. The average number of drugs dispensed per patient was 6.8, average percentage of patients given injections was 72.5%, average percentage of patients given one or more antibiotics was 59.7%, while the percentage of patients given non essential drugs was 45.9%. The additional costs to the standard treatment in Naira was 255, 350 and 175 for malaria, ARI and DD respectively. The losses attributable to irrational dispensing was 4,500 Naira. However, more than half of the drugs were on essential drug list, implying some cost savings for the consumers, but the high number of drugs (6.8) on average/patient is likely to increase the total cost of drugs cancelling out the cost savings to consumers arising from dispensing essential drugs.

Indexed as

MortalityAdultChild, PreschoolDiarrheaFemaleHealth Care CostsHealth FacilitiesHealth PolicyHumansMalariaMaleNigeriaPharmaceutical PreparationsRespiratory Tract InfectionsPharmaceutical Preparations

Identifiers

PMID24621618
PMCPMC3951466
OpenAlexW2012452253

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.