Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35646306›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in drug safety2022

Prescription for COVID-19 by non-medical professionals during the pandemic in Colombia: a cross-sectional study.

Maria Jose Nino-Orrego, Daniela Baracaldo-Santamaría, Claudia Patricia Ortiz, Heyde Patricia Zuluaga, Sthefany Alejandra Cruz-Becerra, Franklin Soler, Andrés M Pérez-Acosta, Daniel Ricardo Delgado, Carlos-Alberto Calderon-Ospina

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in drug safety, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 22% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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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

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Maria Jose Nino-OrregoCenter for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Daniela Baracaldo-SantamaríaPharmacology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Claudia Patricia OrtizCorporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios-UNIMINUTO, Programa de Administración en Salud Ocupacional, Grupo de Investigación en Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, Neiva, Colombia.
Heyde Patricia ZuluagaColombian Association of Pharmacovigilance, Bogotá, Colombia.
Sthefany Alejandra Cruz-BecerraColombian Association of Pharmacovigilance, Bogotá, Colombia.
Franklin SolerObservatory of Self-Medication Behavior, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Andrés M Pérez-AcostaObservatory of Self-Medication Behavior, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Daniel Ricardo DelgadoGrupo de Investigación en Dinámicas Sociales, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Campus Neiva, Neiva, Colombia.
Carlos-Alberto Calderon-OspinaCenter for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, 111221 Bogotá, Colombia. Pharmacology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7305-8727
Universidad del Rosario · COColombian Association of Surgery · COCorporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios · COUniversidad Cooperativa de Colombia · CO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the behavior of self-medication (SM). Given the massive release of misleading information during the pandemic, some pharmacies recommend drugs such as ivermectin, azithromycin, and hydroxychloroquine that are not useful for preventing or treating COVID-19 and could expose patients to unnecessary adverse drug reactions (ADRs), drug-drug interactions (DDIs), disease masking, and antibiotic resistance. Rationale: SM with drugs advertised for COVID-19 can have consequences, and people should be aware of approved uses, potential contraindications, and ADRs. Thus, the aim of this study was to know the drug therapies including natural products and homeopathic drugs offered by Colombian pharmaceutical establishments for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, as well as the information provided on the safe use of the product. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional mystery shopping study was carried out to determine the pharmaceutical alternatives for the management of COVID-19 offered by pharmaceutical establishments (drugstores, pharmacies, homeopathic pharmacies, and nutritional supplements stores) in Colombia, and information related to the safe use of the product. The study included 482 pharmaceutical establishments from 16 Colombian departments. Data collection was done through telephone calls to each of the establishments following an interview protocol pretending to be a patient who presents symptoms related to COVID-19. Results: About 57.3% (276) of the establishments recommended a product for the treatment of COVID-19 infection, 66.6% (321) asked whether the caller had COVID-19 symptoms and what they are, and 44.2% (213) suggested taking a COVID-19 test. Of 59 drugs suggested by pharmacies, the most recommended were azithromycin, ivermectin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and ASA (aspirin). From the establishments that recommended a product, dosage was indicated in 85.5% (236) of the pharmaceutical establishments and 14.5% (40) of the establishments reported the most common adverse effects of this substance. About 9.4% (26) of the establishments reported possible interactions of the recommended drugs and substances with food, beverages, or supplements. Plain Language Summary:

Indexed as

ColombiaCOVID-19medical prescriptionspharmaciesself-medication

Identifiers

PMID35646306
PMCPMC9136451
OpenAlexW4285257371

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.