Table 3.
Relationship Between Participants Understanding of Antibiotic Dispensing and Participant Characteristics
| Questions | Positive Response | n (%) | P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Age | Work | Qualification | |||
| Do you think dispensing of antibiotics without a valid prescription is a problem? | Yes | 240 (76.9) | 0.556 | 0.125 | 0.181 | 0.229 |
| Do you think that it is legal to dispense antibiotics without a valid prescription in Nepal? | No | 271 (86.9) | 0.865 | 0.699 | 0.016* | 0.49 |
| Do you agree that pharmacy personnel should not be dispensing antibiotics without a valid prescription? | Agree | 270 (86.5) | 0.283 | 0.909 | 0.737 | 0.917 |
| Do you ask patients if they have any drug allergies before dispensing antibiotics? | Yes | 228 (73.1) | 0.803 | 0.721 | 0.173 | 0.215 |
| Do you ask patients if they are on any other medicines before dispensing antibiotics? | Yes | 280 (89.7) | 0.470 | 0.618 | 0.807 | 0.191 |
| What would you do if a patient asks for antibiotics without a prescription? | Ask for a valid prescription | 273 (87.5) | 0.054 | 0.347 | 0.085 | 0.283 |
| What would you do when prescribed brand of antibiotics is not available in your pharmacy? | Take suggestion with doctor | 73 (23.4) | 0.140 | 0.099 | 0.006* | 0.899 |
| Do you think that refusing to dispense antibiotics without prescriptions negatively affect the sales and profits of the pharmacy? | No | 116 (37.2) | 0.352 | 0.756 | 0.405 | 0.684 |
| Do you think that patients would try to obtain antibiotics from another pharmacy if you refuse to dispense them without a valid prescription? | Yes | 275 (88.1) | 0.798 | 0.790 | 0.129 | 0.520 |
| What would you do if a patient with a valid prescription for antibiotics does not have sufficient money for its full course? | Replace with cheaper brands | 46 (14.7) | 0.174 | 0.041* | 0.244 | 0.084 |
| Do you dispense antibiotics without a prescription? | No | 203 (65.1) | 0.115 | 0.731 | 0.522 | 0.025* |
| Do you advise patients to adhere to their antibiotic dosage regimen and its course completion? | Yes | 296 (94.5) | 0.648 | 0.990 | 0.544 | 0.448 |
| Do you take follow-up feedback after dispensing antibiotics? | Yes | 204 (65.4) | 0.586 | 0.078 | <0.001** | 0.042* |
| Do you think that an inappropriate dispensing of antibiotics could promote antimicrobial resistance? | Yes | 228 (73.1) | 0.307 | 0.116 | 0.018* | 0.004* |
| Do you think that antibiotics are indicated to reduce pain and inflammation? | No | 205 (65.7) | 0.988 | <0.001** | <0.001** | 0.017* |
| Do you suggest patients to stop taking antibiotics if their symptoms would subside? | No | 266 (85.3) | 0.823 | 0.104 | 0.003* | 0.354 |
Notes: All the p-values were computed using Chi-square test; *Statistically significant; **Highly significant; Age means age group; Work means work experience.