title: Impact of the national protocol for malaria treatment on prescribing patterns in Gezira state, Sudan.
abstract: A cross-sectional study to assess the impact of the national protocol for malaria treatment was conducted in a town in Gezira state, central Sudan, in 2001. Most of the 165 doctors and medical assistants interviewed (80.0%) had not been trained in the protocol and many (57.5%) were still using their own protocols. Analysis of 410 prescriptions showed chloroquine was the most common antimalarial drug used (69.5% of prescriptions). Compared with a study before implementation of the protocol, more prescriptions met the protocol standards for correct chloroquine dose, whereas regimens for administration of intravenous quinine were still inadequate. The study showed a lack of continuous supervision, training and follow-up in the protocol guidelines and negative attitudes of hospital specialists towards the protocol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.lastname: Yousif
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011803:Quinine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013397:Sudan; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D011803:Quinine; D015767:Mefloquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine