资源匮乏国家传统眼科药物的内容与成本评估——对眼科护理实践和政策的影响

Evaluation of content and cost of traditional eye medication in a resource-poor country - Implications for eye care practice and policy.

作者信息

Aghaji A E, Ezeome I V, Ezeome E R

机构信息

Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

出版信息

Niger J Clin Pract. 2018 Nov;21(11):1514-1519. doi: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_201_18.

DOI:10.4103/njcp.njcp_201_18

PMID:30417853

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Cataract, glaucoma, and conjunctivitis are common causes of ocular morbidity in Nigeria. A major obstacle in reducing the burden of ocular morbidity in rural areas is access to eye care services. Up to 80% of the population in developing countries use traditional medications for their primary healthcare needs because they are accessible, available, and affordable. The aim of this study is to evaluate the content and cost of commercialized traditional medications used in the treatment of common eye conditions in Nigeria.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All the registered traditional healers (THs) at an International Trade Fair in Enugu who treated eye problems were identified. Data on their location and scope of their practice were collected by the researchers. Proxy patients consulted THs in the trade fair with simulated cataract, glaucoma, and bacterial conjunctivitis, and treatment was sought. Medication for the treatment of the simulated disorders was paid for and procured. The mode of administration and the cost of the drugs were recorded by proxy patients. Each medication was labeled with a code and sent to the laboratories of the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control for analysis. Data were entered into a database on Microsoft Access and transferred to STATA V12.1 (StataCorp) for analysis.

RESULTS

Cataract was treated by 87.5% of all the traditional eye healers interviewed. A total of 32 samples were collected and analyzed. These comprised mainly oral (53.1%) and topical traditional medications (43.8%). The pH of the topical samples ranged from 3.5 to 10, while the mean microbiological load per topical solution was 3.3 × 10 cfu/mL ± 0.96. The cost of treatment of cataract ranged from 4 to 70 USD.

CONCLUSION

The content of the majority of the samples of traditional eye medications in this study had high extremes of pH and/or had a high microbial content. The practice of THs should be regulated.

摘要

背景

白内障、青光眼和结膜炎是尼日利亚眼部疾病的常见病因。农村地区减轻眼部疾病负担的一个主要障碍是获得眼科护理服务。发展中国家高达80%的人口使用传统药物满足其基本医疗需求，因为这些药物可及、可得且价格低廉。本研究的目的是评估尼日利亚用于治疗常见眼部疾病的商业化传统药物的成分和成本。

患者与方法

在埃努古国际贸易博览会上，识别出所有治疗眼部问题的注册传统治疗师（THs）。研究人员收集了他们的执业地点和范围数据。代理患者在博览会上向治疗师咨询模拟的白内障、青光眼和细菌性结膜炎，并寻求治疗。购买并获取用于治疗模拟疾病的药物。代理患者记录药物的给药方式和成本。每种药物都贴上一个代码标签，然后送往国家药品监督管理局实验室进行分析。数据录入微软Access数据库，并转移到STATA V12.1（StataCorp）进行分析。

结果

所有接受访谈的传统眼科治疗师中，87.5%治疗白内障。共收集并分析了32个样本。这些样本主要包括口服（53.1%）和局部用传统药物（43.8%）。局部用样本的pH值范围为3.5至10, 而每毫升局部用溶液的平均微生物载量为3.3×10 cfu/mL±0.96。白内障的治疗费用从4美元到70美元不等。