title: Community consumption of antibacterial drugs within the Jordanian population: sources, patterns and appropriateness.
abstract: This study is the first of its type to evaluate sources, patterns and appropriateness of antibacterial drug consumption within the Jordanian population. It uses a structured random interview to customers arriving at community pharmacy stores seeking antibacterial medication for systemic infections. Dispensed antibacterial drugs belonged to eight different main classes of systemically used antibacterial drugs in accordance with the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Just less than one-half of all dispensed antibacterial drugs were without a prescription (46%), either via self-medication (23.2%) or pharmacist recommendation (23.1%). Inappropriateness in use was seen in 29.9% and 34% of the prescribed and non-prescribed (over-the-counter) antibacterial drugs, respectively. No uniformity in the treatment profile of the different treated complaints was seen. Our study shows great misuse and abuse of antibacterial drugs and hence there is a need to force regulations to control community use of antibacterial drugs and to increase awareness of the consequences of their inappropriate and uncontrolled use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. agbakri@ju.edu.jo
authors.forename: Amal G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Al-Bakri
authors.forename: Yasser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bustanji
authors.forename: Al-Motassem
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Yousef
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D007597:Jordan; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D010594:Pharmacies; D012651:Self Medication
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs