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ObjectiveTo evaluate the status of community pharmacies, their staff, and practices toward dispensing antibiotics.DesignCross-sectional, prospective.Place and duration of studyCommunity pharmacies in two districts of central Nepal, from March 2016 to May 2016.MethodsA systematic random sampling approach was adopted to sample 161 community pharmacies. Data on the registration status of pharmacies, qualification or training of dispensing staff, and the practice of dispensing antibiotics were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Face to face interviews were carried out by a previously trained interviewer. Data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.ResultsAmong 161 community pharmacies, 25% were not registered and most of them were located in rural areas. It was typical (66.5%) to dispense antibiotics without prescription and most (91.4%) of the staffs involved in dispensing were non-pharmacists. Furthermore, the study revealed common practices of replacing one brand of antibiotic with other brands (66%), dispensing incomplete courses of antibiotics (73%), and not giving any advice regarding antibiotic use (39%) or completion of a full course of therapy (80%). There were significant (p < 0.001) relationships between the location of pharmacies (rural vs urban) and the qualifications of the pharmacy staff.ConclusionDispensing antibiotics without prescription and by non-pharmacists are common in this region. The study also found several issues regarding the irrational use of antibiotics. Thus, there is an urgent need to address these issues and promote the informed use of antibiotics.

Objective: The study was to investigate antibiotic prescription patterns at outpatient departments

Objectives: In developing countries, bacteriuria is associated with significant maternal and foetal risks. Rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance warrants continuous monitoring of the susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates. In this study, we report our findings regarding the drug resistance patterns of bacteria isolates from pregnant women with urinary tract infections (UTI).Methods: This study included 1358 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology between July 2013 and August 2014. Urine specimens were processed for isolation and identification of bacterial species following standard microbiological methods. The disc diffusion test was used to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of the recovered isolates at

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