Research Center, King Fahad Medical City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, P.O. Box. 59046, Riyadh, 11525, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Takhasusi Road, P.O. Box 50927, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Clin Pharm. 2020 Apr;42(2):341-346. doi: 10.1007/s11096-020-01033-0. Epub 2020 Apr 16.
Background The increased dispensing of non-prescribed antibiotics increases the public health problem of antimicrobial resistance. In April 2018, the Saudi Ministry of Health reinforced the disciplinary regulations of banning pharmacies from selling antibiotics without a medical prescription. Objective To assess the rate of non-prescribed antibiotic sales by community pharmacies and compare it with the findings from our 2011 study. Setting Community pharmacies, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional, simulated patient study was conducted between August and November 2018. Six simulated clinical scenarios were presented at stratified samples of community pharmacies. Main outcome measure The primary study outcome was the proportion of community pharmacies dispensing non-prescribed antibiotics. Results Of 327 pharmacies, 41 (12.5%) dispensed antibiotics without a prescription upon explicit request for antibiotics. Antibiotics sales decreased significantly in 2018 compared to 2011 (77.6%), (p value < 0.05) after the implementation of disciplinary regulations. Only 6.25% of pharmacists enquired about drug allergies, pregnancy status (urinary tract infection scenario), and drug-drug interactions. Conclusion Given the recent implementation of disciplinary regulations, the findings of this study demonstrate a significant decline in the proportion of pharmacies dispensing non-prescribed antibiotics. Measures to augment the enforcement of regulations and to ensure community pharmacy adherence and compliance are warranted.
非处方抗生素的配发增加了抗生素耐药性这一公共卫生问题。2018 年 4 月，沙特卫生部加强了禁止药店在没有处方的情况下出售抗生素的纪律规定。目的：评估社区药店非处方抗生素销售的比例，并与我们 2011 年的研究结果进行比较。地点：沙特阿拉伯利雅得市的社区药店。方法：这是一项在 2018 年 8 月至 11 月期间进行的横断面、模拟患者研究。在社区药店的分层样本中呈现了 6 种模拟临床情景。主要观察指标：主要研究结果是社区药店配发非处方抗生素的比例。结果：在 327 家药店中，有 41 家（12.5%）在明确要求开抗生素时未凭处方配发抗生素。在实施纪律规定后，2018 年抗生素销售明显低于 2011 年（77.6%）（p 值<0.05）。只有 6.25%的药剂师询问药物过敏、怀孕状况（尿路感染情况）和药物相互作用。结论：鉴于最近实施了纪律规定，本研究结果表明，不凭处方配发抗生素的药店比例显著下降。有必要采取措施加强法规的执行力度，并确保社区药店的遵守和合规性。
