Table 2.
Subgroup meta-analysis of the proportion of non-prescription dispensing of antibiotics
| Subgroups | Non-prescription dispensing of antibiotics(95% CI) | Difference in estimate between categories (P value) | Number of studies | Heterogeneity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study publication year a | ||||
| 2016–2020 | 0.76 (0.65–0.87) | P = 0.066 | 16 | I2 = 98.3%, P < 0.001 |
| 2000–2015 | 0.51 (0.23–0.79) | 6 | I2 = 99.3%, P < 0.001 | |
| < 2000 | 0.67 (0.54–0.77) | 1 | NA | |
| Region | ||||
| East Africa | 0.69 (0.57–0.81) | P = 0.66 | 21 | I2 = 98.8%, P < 0.001 |
| Central Africa | 0.47 (0.42–0.52) | 1 | NA | |
| West Africa | 0.91 (0.87–0.94) | 1 | NA | |
| Case scenarios | ||||
| Multiple** | 0.71 (0.53–0.88) | P = 0.235 | 13 | I2 = 99.0%, P < 0.001 |
| Single* | 0.76 (0.64–0.89) | 6 | I2 = 95.9%, P < 0.001 | |
| Not specified | 0.52 (0.22–0.82) | 4 | I2 = 99.5%, P < 0.001 | |
| Number of visits*** | ||||
| ≤ 146 | 0.74 (0.65–0.83) | P = 0.320 | 12 | I2 = 92.9%, P < 0.001 |
| > 146 | 0.64 (0.46–0.82) | 11 | I2 = 99.4%, P < 0.001 | |
| Number of outlets*** | ||||
| ≤ 63 | 0.71 (0.57–0.86) | P = 0.603 | 12 | I2 = 98.5%, P < 0.001 |
| > 63 | 0.66 (0.48–0.85) | 11 | I2 = 99.2%, P < 0.001 |
NA, not applicable
aThe World Health Organisation issued the global strategy for containment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2001, and global action plan to control AMR in 2015, categorised studies based on year using this fact
**Studies used more than one case scenario (includes; diarrhoea, URTI, vaginal discharge, urethral discharge, UTI, wound/abscess, injury, typhoid, post-surgery etc.)
*Studies used either diarrhoea or respiratory tract infection case scenarios
***Median was taken to set cut-off point for categorisation