Abstract:
Background: Antibiotic resistance has been identified as a significant health issue across
the world. Inappropriate antibiotics prescribing by physicians, dispensing antibiotics without
prescription and counseling by pharmacists and the misuse of antibiotics by patients make
many populations “sick populations”. It is recognized that community pharmacists have a
major responsibility to counsel the patients before dispensing antibiotics.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate counseling patterns of community
pharmacies when dispensing antibiotics and to examine whether the community pharmacists
demand a prescription when dispensing antibiotics in Galle.
Methodology: This was a simulated patient study involving community pharmacists/
pharmacy assistance who work in community pharmacies in Galle AGA division. Scenarios
of specific product request (Erythromycin tablets, Ciprofloxacin tablets, Amoxicillin syrup)
were presented by a simulated patient. Data was recorded by the simulated patient after
purchase of each product.
Results and conclusions: Most of the pharmacists/ pharmacy assistance (72.0%) didn’t
demand a prescription for antibiotic dispensing. About 82.0% of the pharmacies visited had
dispensed antibiotics without a prescription. Only 14% community pharmacies in the area
have been taken the medical and life style history of simulated patients. Advice or
counseling regarding antibiotics were given by only 24.0% of community pharmacies . The
side effects of the antibiotics were not explained to the patient by almost all the the
pharmacists/ pharmacy assistance when dispensing. Counseling patterns of community
pharmacies in the area were very unsatisfactory. Major issues of dispensing antibiotics such
as not demanding a prescription were common, and these issues needed to be addressed by
health aothorities and policy makers to safeguard the patients.