National Center of Biotechnology, Life Science and Environment Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmaceutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
J Infect Public Health. 2023 Jan;16(1):34-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.11.026. Epub 2022 Nov 23.
Antibiotic overuse and misuse have greatly facilitated the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that took a strategic approach, beginning with the prohibition of over-the-counter antibiotic dispensing, followed by the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs and various educational and awareness governmental activities and plans. However, the status of antibiotic prescriptions and dispensing in Saudi community pharmacies is still unclear. As a result, this study investigates community pharmacists' antibiotic dispensing practices and their knowledge of their role in fighting AMR, in addition to the status of antibiotic prescribing errors by physicians.
This is an online-based survey study of 671 participants distributed among community pharmacists of large pharmacy chains throughout the Saudi Arabia.
A number of 671 community pharmacists were participated in total, with a response rate of 96.57% (648 responses). The majority of community pharmacists (67%) had a long experience (>5 years) in this field. An antibiotic prescribing error was prevalent, with a mean of 3.32 per month in each pharmacy. Dentists (36.7%) and general practitioners (28.7%) were the most prescribers associated with antibiotic prescription errors. Most community pharmacists had a generally good practice of dispensing antibiotics, accounting for 71.5% of daily antibiotic dispensing. However, more than one-third of those pharmacists (35.2%) agreed on dispensing topical antibiotics without a prescription, based on their evaluation of the case presented in the pharmacy, as the majority of community pharmacists demonstrated a significant understanding of AMR.
The current study demonstrated that there is a good antibiotic dispensing practice in the community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia, in addition to a substantial understanding of the community pharmacist's vital role in fighting AMR. This study could inform decision-makers on antibiotic usage in Saudi community pharmacies to improve the current inappropriate antibiotic use and dispensing situation and, thus, control AMR spread in Saudi Arabia.
抗生素的过度使用和滥用极大地促进了抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）的发展。沙特阿拉伯王国是采取战略方法的国家之一，从禁止非处方配药开始，随后实施了抗菌药物管理计划以及各种教育和提高认识的政府活动和计划。然而，沙特社区药店的抗生素处方和配药情况仍不清楚。因此，本研究调查了社区药剂师的抗生素配药做法及其对抗 AMR 作用的认识，以及医生开抗生素处方错误的情况。
这是一项针对沙特阿拉伯各地大型连锁药店的社区药剂师的在线调查研究，共涉及 671 名参与者。
共有 671 名社区药剂师参与了这项研究，回应率为 96.57%（648 份回应）。大多数社区药剂师（67%）在该领域有多年的经验（>5 年）。每个药店每月抗生素处方错误的平均数量为 3.32 个。牙医（36.7%）和全科医生（28.7%）是与抗生素处方错误相关的最主要处方者。大多数社区药剂师在配药方面有良好的实践，占每日抗生素配药的 71.5%。然而，超过三分之一的药剂师（35.2%）根据他们在药店评估的病例，同意在没有处方的情况下配局部抗生素，因为大多数社区药剂师对抗生素耐药性有显著的理解。
本研究表明，沙特阿拉伯的社区药店有良好的抗生素配药做法，社区药剂师对抗生素耐药性的重要作用有很大的认识。本研究可以为决策者提供沙特社区药店抗生素使用情况的信息，以改善目前抗生素使用和配药不当的情况，从而控制沙特阿拉伯的抗生素耐药性传播。
