Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38904128›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

Antibiotic dispensing practices among informal healthcare providers in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol.

Meera Tandan, Poshan Thapa, Buna Bhandari, Sumanth Gandra, Diwash Timalsina, Shweta Bohora, Swostika Thapaliya, Anupama Bhusal, Genevieve C Gore, Surbhi Sheokand and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

7 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

15 authors.

Meera TandanDepartment of General Practice, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Poshan ThapaSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada thapaposhan2009@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-3333-1434
Buna BhandariCentral Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sumanth GandraWashington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
Diwash TimalsinaSwansea University, Swansea, UK.
Shweta BohoraSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Swostika ThapaliyaCentral Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Anupama BhusalCentral Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Genevieve C GoreSchulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Surbhi SheokandInternational TB Center, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Prachi ShuklaWorld Health Partners, Delhi, India.
Chandrashekhar JoshiWorld Health Partners, Delhi, India.
Nitin MudgalWorld Health Partners, Delhi, India.
Madhukar PaiSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Giorgia SulisSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe rise of antimicrobial resistance represents a critical threat to global health, exacerbated by the excessive and inappropriate dispensing and use of antimicrobial drugs, notably antibiotics, which specifically target bacterial infections. The surge in antibiotic consumption globally is particularly concerning in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where informal healthcare providers (IPs) play a vital role in the healthcare landscape. Often the initial point of contact for healthcare-seeking individuals, IPs play a crucial role in delivering primary care services in these regions. Despite the prevalent dispensing of antibiotics by IPs in many LMICs, as highlighted by existing research, there remains a gap in the comprehensive synthesis of antibiotic dispensing practices and the influencing factors among IPs. Hence, this scoping review seeks to map and consolidate the literature regarding antibiotic dispensing and its drivers among IPs in LMICs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute guideline for scoping review. A comprehensive search across nine electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Global Health, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, AJOL and IMSEAR) will be performed, supplemented by manual searches of reference lists of eligible publications. The search strategy will impose no constraints on study design, methodology, publication date or language. The study selection process will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. The findings on antibiotic dispensing and its patterns will be synthesised and reported descriptively using tables, visuals and a narrative summary. Additionally, factors influencing antibiotic dispensing will be elucidated through both inductive and deductive content analysis methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for scoping reviews. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at relevant conferences.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsDeveloping CountriesHealth PersonnelHumansPractice Patterns, Physicians'Research DesignScoping Reviews as TopicAnti-Bacterial Agentsanti-bacterial agentshealth workforcereview

Identifiers

PMID38904128
PMCPMC11191789

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.