Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; A Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine

Authors

Mariam Al Tell, Public Health Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Basic Clinical Skills, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.Follow
Hiba Howari, Public health management master program, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.Follow
Ahmad Amer Tall, Department of basic medical silences, Faculty of medicine, Hebron University Hebron, PalestineFollow
Ismaeil Qatawie, Rafidia Governmental Hospital, Hospital, Nablus, Palestine.

Abstract

Introduction Irrational antibiotic use, due to misuse and overuse, exacerbates antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic dispensing without a medical prescription is highly prevalent among community pharmacies, significantly contributing to antibiotic misapplication. Controlling antibiotic use is critical, as is enforcing relevant laws and regulations. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to identify the factors affecting community pharmacists' practices for dispensing antibiotics without medical prescription and, to determine the prevalence of this dispensing. A standardized questionnaire filled out by community pharmacists (277) from the ten West Bank districts between April - and June 2021 was used to collect the data in a convenient sampling method. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version (19). Results: The findings indicated a high prevalence rate (94.2%) of antibiotic dispensing without medical prescriptions. Amoxicillin was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic, its dispensing rate reached up to (80.64 %). The most common reasons for dispensing the antibiotics without a medical prescription were “the effectiveness of a specific antibiotic (83.8 %)”, “patients' inability to see a doctor (58.1%)”, and “the lack of adverse effects or complications when administering certain antibiotics’(36.8 %)”. While 90.6 % of participating pharmacists were aware of the policy prohibiting dispensing antibiotics without a prescription, 26.4 % opposed it. Recommendation: To prevent antibiotic misuse, officials must enact more restrictions, implement more solutions, and monitor the situation.

Recommended Citation

Al Tell, Mariam; Howari, Hiba; Tall, Ahmad Amer; and Qatawie, Ismaeil (2025) "Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; A Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine," Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.