ReviewArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2021
The use of non-prescribed antibiotics; prevalence estimates in low-and-middle-income countries. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Non-prescription antibiotic dispensing in community pharmacies in LMICs: a systematic review of prevalence, drivers, and policy implications.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and associated factors of self-medication with antibiotics among pediatric population in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- The global prevalence of antibiotic self-medication among the adult population: systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Drivers of inappropriate use of antibiotics among community members in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of qualitative studies.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Non-prescription antibiotic use and its predictors among children in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Protocols, policies and practices for antimicrobial stewardship in hospitalized patients in least-developed and low-income countries: a systematic review.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic synthesis of expert opinion on effective policies to tackle bacterial resistance worldwide.Veterinary medicine and science · 2023Pooled it
- Income level and antibiotic misuse: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2022Pooled it
- Education level and misuse of antibiotics in the general population: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2022Pooled it
- Public knowledge, beliefs and behaviours related to antimicrobial resistance and antibiotics: a systematic review of studies in high-income countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Review
- Synthesis and In Vitro Biological Evaluation of Amphiphilic Derivatives of Carvacrol as Potent Antibacterial Agents.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Non-prescription antibiotics dispensing for common infections using simulated patients.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- The impact of interventions to modify antibiotic use in children with suspected infections in ambulatory healthcare settings in LMICs: a systematic review.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Review
- Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance Dynamics Across Healthcare Level: Global Evidence and Stewardship Implications.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- A point prevalence survey on antibiotic dispensing practices identifies targets for quality improvement of antimicrobial stewardship in community pharmacies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Analysis on the Prevalence and Practices of Antibiotic Misuse among Adult Residents of Rodriguez, Rizal: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study.Acta medica Philippina · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Associated Factors for Purchasing Antibiotics Without a Prescription Among Patients in Rural South Africa: Implications for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Pediatrics advances in 2024: choices in allergy, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, immunology, infectious diseases, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, nutrition, palliative care respiratory tract illnesses, and social media.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Review
- Rational use of antibiotics at primary & secondary healthcare facilities in district Panchkula, Haryana, North India: A cross-sectional study.The Indian journal of medical research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe global increase in the utilization of non - prescribed antibiotics (NPA), is concerning, with high persistence within the low and middle-income countries (LMICs). With a negative impact on the health of individuals and communities the use of NPA paves the way to the propagation of superbugs that potentially predisposes to changes in bacterial resistance patterns, antibiotic resistance (AR) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study aimed at estimating through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the prevalence of NPA utilisation and describe its primary sources in LMICs.
methodsThe study is a systematic review and meta-analysis which study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017072954). The review used The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The studies searched in databases were deemed eligible if reported evidence of practices of self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) and the prevalence of NPA utilisation within adult participants from LMICs, published between 2007 to 2017. The pooled analyses were carried out using Meta XL statistical software. The pooled prevalence was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool.
resultsThe review included a total of 11 cross-sectional studies, involving 5080 participants and conducted in LMICs from Asia (India, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Yemen), Latin America (Guatemala), Africa (Nigeria). All studies reported existing practices of SMA, with reported prevalence ranging from 50% to 93,8%. The pooled prevalence of SMA was 78% (95% CI: 65-89%). The main sources of NPA were; pharmacies, family and friends, old prescriptions, home cabinet and leftover antibiotics.
conclusionThis study revealed a high prevalence of utilisation of NPA in the studied LMICs, these were found to be twice as high in women than men and those participants aged between 18 and 40 years old. The review suggests f considering broader qualitative and comprehensive contextuallized research to better understand the nuances of NPA use. These would be benefitial to uncover uncover gray areas, inform decisions, support the (re) design and implementation of multifaceted interventions towards antibiotic stewardship and conservancy in LMICs.
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