Assessment of self-medication in population buying antibiotics in pharmacies: a pilot study from Beirut and its suburbs

Chaito, Lina; Azizi, S M; Saleh, Nadine; Salameh, Pascale

doi:10.1007/s00038-013-0493-y

Cited by 75 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Misuse of antibiotics is common in Eastern Mediterranean countries, with self‐medication rates ranging from 32% to 42% as reported in Lebanon (Cheaito et al. ) (Farah et al. ), and from 32% to 62%% in Jordanian studies (Darwish et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Self‐medication misuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Khalifeh

Moore

Salameh

2017

Pharmacology Res & Perspec

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Regulations usually distinguish between prescription‐only (POM) and over‐the‐counter (OTC) medicines. The former requires medical prescription; the latter are available for SM of common minor or easily treated ailments. However, in the Eastern Mediterranean countries, theoretical prescription medicines can easily be purchased without a prescription, as self‐medication (SM) resulting in potential misuse and unnecessary risk for patients. The magnitude of this activity is uncertain. The aim of this article, therefore, is to undertake a comprehensive review to identify the different types of medicines that can easily be purchased as SM in Middle East and recognized as misused. An extensive review of the published literature (1990–2015) was conducted using Pubmed, web of science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases, for OTC medicine misuse in the Middle East. A total of 72 papers were identified. Medicines involved in misuse included: codeine containing products, topical anesthetics, topical corticosteroids, antimalarial, and antibiotics. Self‐medication misuse of medicines seemed widespread. Individual treatment patterns were not clearly identified. Studies were not standardized, limiting the comparability between studies and the estimation of the scale of misuse. Pharmacists, friends, or parents were found to be the main sources of SMs. Knowledge and attitudes are an important contributing factor in the misuse of these medications. Strategies and interventions to limit misuse were rarely identified in literature. In conclusion, a massive problem involving a range of medicines was found in Middle East. Standardization of studies is a prerequisite to the understanding and prevention of misuse of self‐medication.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid was mostly used among Lebanese (48.9%) (Cheaito et al. ), among university students in United Arab Emirates, (48.9%) (Suleiman and Rubian ), and in Pakistan (62.8%) (Aslam et al. ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐medication misuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Khalifeh

Moore

Salameh

2017

Pharmacology Res & Perspec

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“…It also referred to nonmedical use of prescription medication. 11,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Moreover, the terminology of abuse was not also distinguished from the terms addiction or dependence. For example, tramadol addiction symptoms were deemed to be increased tramadol dosage or continuing its use without a physician"s permission, inability to stop using the drug or to decrease the dose, or feeling "incomplete" upon its withdrawal.…”

Section: Definitions Of Sm Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Self-medications with potential abuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Khalifeh

Moore

Salameh

2016

Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol

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“…During the onset of disease, the initial symptoms may be similar or even identical when comparing a relatively benign condition to another that is more serious. For this reason, patients may often decide to consult the community pharmacist as their first line of medical advice, possibly for socioeconomic reasons, accessibility, convenience or lack of knowledge …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the referral of clients with respiratory symptoms to general physicians: a survey of community pharmacists in Beirut

Mikati

Maroun

Armache

et al. 2018

International Journal of Pharmacy Practice

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Objectives The main objective of this study was to assess the ability of community pharmacists practicing in Beirut to identify red flag respiratory symptoms, and therefore to adequately refer clients to a general physician when warranted. Secondary objectives included determining whether demographic factors affect the odds of referral, and to qualify degree of agreement of community pharmacists with a panel of expert physicians. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, pharmacies were randomly selected and invited to complete a self‐administered survey, each containing 10 clinical vignettes that combined different characteristics (age group, gender, presenting symptom, duration of symptoms). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to inspect predictors of referral, correct referral and under‐referral. Key findings A total of 214 pharmacies were visited and 141 (65.9%) responded. Pharmacists were more likely to refer female patients (P = 0.035) and patients who presented with a longer duration of symptoms (P < 0.001). Correct referral was higher in pharmacies that were more than 20 min away from the nearest hospital (P = 0.013) and with clients who presented with haemoptysis (P < 0.001), dyspnoea (P < 0.001) or wheezing (P < 0.027), while it was lower with female patients (P < 0.001). Under‐referral was higher in pharmacies that served more than 500 clients weekly (P = 0.048) and in patients presenting for dry cough (P < 0.001) or productive cough (P < 0.001). Conclusion This study has shown that there is a need for further investigation into the practices of community pharmacists of Beirut. An action plan may be advised to alleviate the burden of patients who might currently be under‐referred and experience morbidity as a result.

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Assessment of self-medication in population buying antibiotics in pharmacies: a pilot study from Beirut and its suburbs

Abstract: Self-medication with antibiotics is a relatively frequent problem in Beirut area. Interventions are required to reduce antibiotic misuse.

Cited by 75 publications

References 20 publications

Self‐medication misuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Self‐medication misuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Self-medications with potential abuse in the Middle East: a systematic literature review

Assessing the referral of clients with respiratory symptoms to general physicians: a survey of community pharmacists in Beirut

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