ArticleBulletin of the World Health Organization2016
The role of drug vendors in improving basic health-care services in Nigeria.
Article in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05357144 (AmbassADDOrs for Health), which is not on this map. Cited by 32 papers.
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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.
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.
AmbassADDOrs for Health: Supporting Young Women's Health Through Girl-friendly Drug Vendors
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Boosting health provider performance with non-financial incentives: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Tanzania.PloS one · 2025Trial
- Reaching Adolescent Girls and Young Women With HIV Self-Testing and Contraception at Girl-Friendly Drug Shops: A Randomized Trial in Tanzania.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2023Trial
- Understanding the context of delays in seeking appropriate care for children with symptoms of severe malaria in Uganda.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Article
- Potential role of proprietary patent medicine vendors in primary eye and ear care: A mixed methods study in northern Nigeria.PloS one · 2025Article
- Factors influencing the acceptability of the test, treat and refer practice for malaria among caregivers of under 5 children at community pharmacies and drug shops in Nigeria.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Article
- Inequality gaps in modern contraceptive use and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Nigeria between 2003 and 2018.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Contextual factors influencing the roles of patent medicine vendors in the provision of injectable contraception services in Nigeria.Reproductive health · 2023Article
- Article
- High prevalence of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins detected among clinical isolates from sentinel healthcare facilities in Lagos, Nigeria.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2022Article
- Revisiting the issue of access to medicines in Africa: Challenges and recommendations.Public health challenges · 2022Review
- Common childhood illnesses: a cross-sectional study of commodity stocking patterns and management knowledge among patent and proprietary medicine vendors in Nigeria.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2022Article
- Drug sellers' knowledge and practices, and client perspectives after an intervention to improve the quality of safe abortion care outside of formal clinics in Nigeria.BMJ sexual & reproductive health · 2022Article
- Process evaluation of an intervention to improve access to injectable contraceptive services through patent medicine vendors in Nigeria: a mixed methods study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2021Article
- Designing drug shops for young women in Tanzania: applying human-centred design to facilitate access to HIV self-testing and contraception.Health policy and planning · 2021Article
- Addressing constraints to informal providers' involvement in tuberculosis control: a qualitative study of patent medicine dealers and tuberculosis programme managers.Global health research and policy · 2021Article
- Article
- Sales and pricing decisions for HIV self-test kits among local drug shops in Tanzania: a prospective cohort study.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Characterization and distribution of medicine vendors in 2 states in Nigeria: implications for scaling health workforce and family planning services.Human resources for health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo characterize patent and proprietary medicine vendors and shops in Nigeria and to assess their ability to help improve access to high-quality, primary health-care services.
methodsIn 2013 and 2014, a census of patent and proprietary medicine shops in 16 states of Nigeria was carried out to determine: (i) the size and coverage of the sector; (ii) the basic characteristics of shops and their staff; and (iii) the range of products stocked for priority health services, particularly for malaria, diarrhoea and family planning. The influence of the medical training of people in charge of the shops on the health-care products stocked and registration with official bodies was assessed by regression analysis.
findingsThe number of shops per 100,000 population was higher in southern than in northern states, but the average percentage of people in charge with medical training across local government areas was higher in northern states: 52.6% versus 29.7% in southern states. Shops headed by a person with medical training were significantly more likely to stock artemisinin-based combination therapy, oral rehydration salts, zinc, injectable contraceptives and intrauterine contraceptive devices. However, these shops were less likely to be registered with the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers and more likely to be registered with the regulatory body, the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria.
conclusionMany patent and proprietary medicine vendors in Nigeria were medically trained. With additional training and oversight, they could help improve access to basic health-care services. Specifically, vendors with medical training could participate in task-shifting interventions.
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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.