ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2016
Exploration of over the counter sales of antibiotics in community pharmacies of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: pharmacy professionals' perspective.
Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 104 citations in OpenAlex.
- Non-prescription antibiotic dispensing in community pharmacies in LMICs: a systematic review of prevalence, drivers, and policy implications.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of educational interventions in improving antimicrobial dispensing by community pharmacists: a systematic review.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of qualitative literature on antimicrobial stewardship in Sub-Saharan Africa.Global health research and policy · 2021Pooled it
- No prescription? No problem: drivers of non-prescribed sale of antibiotics among community drug retail outlets in low and middle income countries: a systematic review of qualitative studies.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- Non-prescription dispensing of antibiotic agents among community drug retail outlets in Sub-Saharan African countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2021Pooled it
- Article
- Perspectives and Challenges of Healthcare Professionals, Patients, and Caregivers Regarding Utilizing Antibiotics and Implementing Antibiotic Stewardship in Healthcare Facilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A systematic review of antimicrobial stewardship practices and challenges in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) regulated retail medicine settings.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Review
- Article
- Community pharmacists' history taking practice in responding to acute uncomplicated cystitis: A simulated patient study from Sudan.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Impact Assessment of an Educational Intervention Toward Rational Antibiotic Use Among Community Pharmacists in Nepal.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2025Article
- Empowering Thai community pharmacists in combating antimicrobial resistance: Qualitative insight and sentiment analysis.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2024Article
- Drug providers' perspectives on antibiotic misuse practices in eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Article
- Antibiotic Dispensing Practices Among Community Retail Pharmacies and Registered Drugstores: Results from a Simulated Client Study in Lilongwe, Malawi.Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2024Article
- Multidrug-ResistantVeterinary sciences · 2023Article
- "Handing out non-prescribed antibiotics is storing up trouble for the next generation!" Unpacking multistakeholder views of drivers and potential solutions in Ethiopia.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Antibiotic Dispensing amongst Pharmacists in Trinidad and Tobago: Exploring a Novel Dichotomy of Antibiotic Laws.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Antibiotic dispensing practices during COVID-19 and implications for antimicrobial resistance (AMR): parallel mystery client studies in Uganda and Tanzania.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOver the counter sale of antibiotics is a global problem and it is increasingly recognized as a source of antibiotic misuse and is believed to increase treatment costs, adverse effects of treatment and emergence of resistance. The increasing trend of over the counter sale of antibiotics in Ethiopia calls for exploration of why such dispensing is practiced. This study aims to explore reasons for over the counter sale of antibiotics in the community pharmacies of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
methodsA phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in five randomly selected community pharmacies of Addis Ababa. One pharmacy professional from each pharmacy were interviewed at the spot using semi-structured, open-ended interview checklist. Besides, observation of professionals' dispensing practice was made for at least one hour in the same community pharmacies using an observation checklist. Findings were categorized into specific themes that were developed following the objectives. This was facilitated by use of OpenCode 3.6 software.
resultsAll participants pointed out that antibiotics were frequently dispensed without prescription and contend that the trend of such dispensing has been increasing. The findings indicated that the nonprescription sales of antibiotics were common for Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin and Cotrimoxazole. The poor, less educated and younger groups of the population were reported to frequently request antibiotics without prescription. The main reasons for nonprescription sale of antibiotics by pharmacy professionals were found to be related to pharmacy owner's influence to maximize revenue, customer's pressure, weak regulatory mechanism and professional conflicts of interest.
conclusionThe study shows that nonprescription sale of antibiotics was common practice at least in Addis Ababa. The main reasons for this malpractice were the need to maximize revenue and weak regulatory mechanism. Hence, strong regulatory enforcement and community awareness campaign is called for to limit nonprescription sale of antibiotics.
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Registered trials
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.