Ambulatory Antibiotic Consumption Profile: State of Play in a Pharmacy Store

Abstract

Introduction: Global consumption of antibiotics (ATBs) has increased by about 65% over the last 15 years. It was exponentially boosted in low and middle income countries. Bacterial resistance to ATBs is now one of the most serious threats to global health and is daily faced by all healthcare actors. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) published an action plan to combat ATBs resistance, encouraging member states to develop their own national action plans. The objective of our study is to provide a state of the art reflecting the consumption patterns of ATBs in pharmacy stores. Material and methods: Our descriptive study lasted for 3 months and included all consenting patients presenting to a pharmacy of the city of Rabat (Morocco) for antibiotic treatment either on medical prescription, pharmaceutical advice or self-medication. The total number of included patients was 150. Results: Among 166 ATBs dispensed to 150 study patients, beta-lactam family represents the most consumed one with a percentage of 28,3%. In terms of delivery methods evaluation, 57.3% of ATBs were delivered on medical prescription, 37.3% on self-medication and 5.4% on pharmacist's advice. The most frequent reasons for ATBs use are skin infections, followed by ENT and pulmonary infections and most requested administration routes are oral and topical ones. Conclusion: In order to optimize ATBs use in ambulatory care, it is important to emphasize the key role of city pharmacist in compliance with the ATBs prescription and dispensing recommendations.