Private pharmacies in Hanoi, Vietnam: a randomized trial of a 2‐year multi‐component intervention on knowledge and stated practice regarding ARI, STD and antibiotic/steroid requests

Abstract

Summaryobjectives To assess the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention on knowledge and reported practice amongst staff working in private pharmacies in Hanoi regarding four conditions: urethral discharge [sexually transmitted diseases (STD)], acute respiratory infection (ARI), and non-prescription requests for antibiotics and steroids.method Randomized controlled trial with staff working in 22 matched pair intervention and control private pharmacies who were administered a semistructured questionnaire on the four conditions before and 4 months after the interventions. The interventions focused on the four conditions and were in sequence (i) regulations enforcement; (ii) face-to-face education and (iii) peer influence. Outcome measures were knowledge and reported change in practice for correct management of tracer conditions.results The intervention/control-pairs (22 after drop-outs) were analysed pre-and post-intervention using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. STD: More drug sellers stated they would ask about the health of the partner (P ¼ 0.03) and more said they would advise condom use (P ¼ 0.01) and partner notification (P ¼ 0.04). ARI: More drug sellers stated they would ask questions regarding fever (P ¼ 0.01), fewer would give antibiotics (P ¼ 0.02) and more would give traditional medicines (P ¼ 0.03). Antibiotics request: Fewer said they would sell a few capsules of cefalexin without a prescription (P ¼ 0.02). Steroid requests: No statistical difference was seen in the numbers who said they would sell steroids without a prescription as numbers declined in both intervention and control groups (P ¼ 0.12).conclusion The three interventions in series over 17 months were effective in changing the knowledge and reported practice of drug sellers in Hanoi.

Impact of educational intervention on knowledge of dispensers working at community pharmacies in Pakistan

“…The implementation of intervention with the involvement of stakeholders can help in achieving better results. Similar improvements in knowledge and practices of dispensers have been reported by various studies 13,14,15,21,22,23,24…”

Management of diarrhoea cases by community pharmacies in 3 cities of Pakistan

“…In many lowincome countries, dispensers provide a variety of drugs, ranging from simple over-the-counter remedies to steroids and antibiotics [2][3][4][5], and also give injections to patients in their retail outlets [6]. Management of any ailment, however, requires appropriate history taking and counselling of patients by the dispensers and an understanding of when to refer patients with more serious conditions.…”

“…Management of any ailment, however, requires appropriate history taking and counselling of patients by the dispensers and an understanding of when to refer patients with more serious conditions. Research from developing countries shows that dispensers working in community pharmacies rarely possess the adequate knowledge and skills for effective disease management, even though of necessity they are extensively involved in it [2,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Práticas de atendimento a DST nas farmácias do Distrito Federal, Brasil: um estudo de intervenção

“…Mostraram, também, que os conhecimentos mudam mais facilmente que as práticas. Estudos dessa natureza são relatados por pesquisadores nacionais e internacionais, sugerem que é mais difícil modificar práticas sem apoio institucional ou legal ou quando se contrariam interesses econômicos dos proprietários e dos próprios trabalhadores das farmácias 1,16,17,18 . Em semelhança ao observado na presente pesquisa, um fenômeno verificado em vários países do mundo é que na ausência de regulamentação efetiva da publicidade e do consumo de medicamentos, as intervenções de promoção do uso racional têm sempre impacto limitado 1 .…”