Do Thu Anh, Quan Phuong Bao, Le Thy Tran-Bao, Du Tuyen Thanh, Duong Suong Thi-Thanh, Nguyen Kim Thai-Thien, Nguyen Khoi Ngoc, Nguyen Hoa Quoc
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2025 Mar 13;18:100590. doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100590. eCollection 2025 Jun.
This study aimed to investigate the proportion of antibiotics dispensed, counseling content, and factors associated with antibiotic dispensing for patients with common cold symptoms among community pharmacists (CPs) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).
A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2023 using a simulated patient (SP) method. A total of 352 community pharmacies across 24 districts in HCMC were randomly selected. The SP provided complaints including having fever, sore throat, cough, swallowing difficulty, stuffy nose and asked for treatment. Bayesian Model Averaging was undertaken to determine the factors associated with antibiotic dispensing practices.
Of 352 enrolled pharmacies, the proportions of antibiotics suggested and eventually dispensed by CPs were 86.4 % and 83.0 %, respectively. Antipyretics, corticosteroids, and cough medicines were also frequently dispensed (94.9 %, 90.1 %, and 85.8 %, respectively). Only 1.7 % of the CPs provided reasons to take antibiotics, and 8.8 % advised to take the full course of antibiotics. While 80.1 % of CPs counseled on the dosage of medications dispensed, 1.7 % provided information regarding potential drug adverse reactions. CPs at chain pharmacies and in urban areas were less likely to dispense antibiotics without a prescription than their peers at independent pharmacies (OR = 0.32; 95 % CI: 0.17-0.59) and in rural areas (OR = 0.53, 95 % CI: 0.29-0.97).
A high proportion of CPs dispensing antibiotics without a prescription along with inadequate counseling content, especially at independent pharmacies and in rural areas was recorded. These issues hightlight the need to improve CPs' knowledge regarding antibiotic resistance and appropriate antibiotic use.
本研究旨在调查胡志明市社区药剂师为有普通感冒症状患者调配抗生素的比例、咨询内容以及与抗生素调配相关的因素。
于2023年1月至6月采用模拟患者方法进行横断面研究。随机选取胡志明市24个区的352家社区药店。模拟患者提出包括发烧、喉咙痛、咳嗽、吞咽困难、鼻塞等症状并寻求治疗。采用贝叶斯模型平均法确定与抗生素调配行为相关的因素。
在352家参与研究的药店中，药剂师建议使用抗生素和最终调配抗生素的比例分别为86.4%和83.0%。退烧药、皮质类固醇和止咳药的调配也很常见（分别为94.9%、90.1%和85.8%）。只有1.7%的药剂师提供了服用抗生素的理由，8.8%的药剂师建议全程服用抗生素。虽然80.1%的药剂师就所调配药物的剂量进行了咨询，但只有1.7%的药剂师提供了有关潜在药物不良反应的信息。连锁药店和市区的药剂师比独立药店（OR = 0.32；95% CI：0.17 - 0.59）和农村地区的同行（OR = 0.53，95% CI：0.29 - 0.97）更不太可能无处方调配抗生素。
记录到很高比例的药剂师无处方调配抗生素，同时咨询内容不足，尤其是在独立药店和农村地区。这些问题凸显了提高药剂师对抗生素耐药性和合理使用抗生素知识的必要性。
