Availability of antibiotics without prescription in New York City.
Misuse of antibiotics in the community has been associated with emergence of increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Although antibiotics in the United States are to be prescribed by a health care provider, the extent to which they are obtained by other means is not known. The purpose of this article is to describe a survey of the availability of nonprescription antibiotics in neighborhood independent businesses in several Manhattan, New York, neighborhoods. A survey was conducted of 101 stores in three neighborhoods--one primarily Hispanic; one primarily black, non-Hispanic; and one primarily white, non-Hispanic. Antibiotics were available in all stores in the Hispanic neighborhood (n = 34), but in none of the others (P < .001). If efforts to rationalize the use of antibiotics are to be successful, the beliefs and cultural norms of subpopulations must be considered, and interventions must be culturally relevant.
Larson
Elaine
E
Center for Evidence-Based Practice, Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY, USA. Ell23@columbia.edu
Grullon-Figueroa
Lorena
L
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003132:Commerce; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D010594:Pharmacies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014505:Urban Population
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents