title: Small pharmacies are more likely to dispense antibiotics without a medical prescription than large pharmacies in Catalonia, Spain.
abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between pharmacy size and the likelihood of obtaining antibiotics without medical prescription at a pharmacy. In 2008 in Catalonia, two actors presented three different cases in a randomised sample of pharmacies and asked pharmacists for an antibiotic. Pharmacies were considered as small when having limited space with only one counter and a maximum of two professionals selling medicines, as medium sized with three or four attending professionals, and as large with a large selling space and more than four attending professionals. Of the 197 pharmacies visited, 88 (44.7%) were considered as small while only 25 (12.7%) were large. Antibiotics were obtained without a medical prescription in 89 (45.2%) pharmacies, mainly in small pharmacies (63.6%), followed by medium-sized pharmacies (35.7%) and large pharmacies (12%) (p<0.001). Large pharmacies, that probably have a greater income, more closely followed the prevailing legislation of not selling antibiotics to patients without a medical prescription. This observation should now be confirmed in other countries where over-the-counter sales of antibiotics are prevalent and should be taken into account by programmes aiming at achieving a more prudent use of antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Primary Healthcare Centre Jaume I, Tarragona, Spain. carles.llor@urv.cat
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Llor
authors.forename: Dl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monnet
authors.forename: Jm
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cots
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000145:classification*; D028743:Professional Misconduct; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents