Opinions of Community Pharmacists in Bangkok on Channels and Conditions for Dispensing of Antibiotics for External Use

Abstract

Objective: To survey opinions of community pharmacists in Bangkok on channels and conditions for dispensing of antibiotics for external use and to survey opinions on the promotion of rational antibiotics uses among accredited community pharmacies and general community pharmacies. Methods: Questionnaires on opinions on appropriate channels and conditions for dispensing of antibiotics for external use and opinions on the promotion of rational use of antibiotics were designed and mailed to subjects. The subjects were two groups of pharmacists on duty in modern drugstores within Bangkok consisting of 354 of those in accredited community pharmacies and 915 in general community pharmacies. Samples were selected by using probability sampling with stratification. Data were collected during January to February 2017. Results: Among 9 groups of antibiotics for topical uses in this study, 85-95% of community pharmacists (depending on the groups of antibiotics) agreed that they should be dispensed within a hospital (channel) by specialists (condition). Around 70-85, 60-80, 10-20 and 60-80% of the subjects agreed that these groups of medication should be dispensed by general practitioners in hospital, physicians in clinics, community pharmacists with mandated bookkeeping and community pharmacists without required bookkeeping, respectively. Among 6 groups of eyes and ears antibiotic preparation, 85-90, 60-80, 50-70, 11-22 and 50-70% of the subjects agreed that they should be dispensed by specialists, general practitioners in hospital, physicians in clinics, community pharmacists with mandated bookkeeping and community pharmacists without required bookkeeping, respectively. Most of community pharmacists agreed with various concepts of rational uses of antibiotics. However, reclassification of antibiotics from dangerous drugs to specially controlled drugs with legal requirement of prescriptions for dispensing, was not well received by pharmacists working in accredited community pharmacies with the mean of 2.55 out of 5, and 2.22 out of 5 among pharmacists in general community pharmacies. Conclusion: Most community pharmacists disagreed with sales control of antibiotics for external use by pharmacists with mandated bookkeeping. They also disagreed with legal reclassification of antibiotics to specially controlled drugs in order to promote rational uses of antibiotics. These measures should be reconsidered.