ArticleBMJ open2024
Drug providers' perspectives on antibiotic misuse practices in eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative study.
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 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Practices and perspectives on antimicrobial drug misuse in Southern Ethiopia: a mixed-method study, 2024.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2026Article
- Surveying Self-Medication Practices and Attitudes Toward Antibiotic Use Among Adults in Primary Care.Cureus · 2025Article
- Exploring behavioral determinants of antimicrobial dispensing in drug retail outlets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a mixed methods study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial resistance, equity and justice in low- and middle-income countries: an intersectional critical interpretive synthesis.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Inequity in access to medications among communities in Eastern Ethiopia: a decomposition analysis.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Status and implications of the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards AWaRe antibiotic use, resistance and stewardship among low- and middle-income countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Review
- Knowledge, attitude, and practices of self-medication with antibiotics among senior undergraduate pharmacy students: A cross-sectional study in Jordan.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveAntibiotic misuse includes using them to treat colds and influenza, obtaining them without a prescription, not finishing the prescribed course and sharing them with others. Although drug providers are well positioned to advise clients on proper stewardship practices, antibiotic misuse continues to rise in Ethiopia. It necessitates an understanding of why drug providers failed to limit such risky behaviours. This study aimed to explore drug providers' perspectives on antibiotic misuse practices in eastern Ethiopia.
settingThe study was conducted in rural Haramaya district and Harar town, eastern Ethiopia. DESIGN AND
participantsAn exploratory qualitative study was undertaken between March and June 2023, among the 15 drug providers. In-depth interviews were conducted using pilot-tested, semistructured questions. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, translated into English and analysed thematically. The analyses considered the entire dataset and field notes.
resultsThe study identified self-medication pressures, non-prescribed dispensing motives, insufficient regulatory functions and a lack of specific antibiotic use policy as the key contributors to antibiotic misuse. We found previous usage experience, a desire to avoid extra costs and a lack of essential diagnostics and antibiotics in public institutions as the key drivers of non-prescribed antibiotic access from private drug suppliers. Non-prescribed antibiotic dispensing in pharmacies was driven by client satisfaction, financial gain, business survival and market competition from informal sellers. Antibiotic misuse in the setting has also been linked to traditional and ineffective dispensing audits, inadequate regulatory oversights and policy gaps.
conclusionThis study highlights profits and oversimplified access to antibiotics as the main motivations for their misuse. It also identifies the traditional antibiotic dispensing audit as an inefficient regulatory operation. Hence, enforcing specific antibiotic usage policy guidance that entails an automated practice audit, a responsible office and insurance coverage for persons with financial limitations can help optimise antibiotic use while reducing resistance consequences.
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