[Self-medication with antibiotics obtained from private pharmacies in Abidjan, Ivory Coast]

Self-medication with antibiotics is all the more disturbing in developing countries where this type of medication is easily available, and often without any prescription.

The authors wanted to assess and describe self-medication with antibiotics and identify the factors and public perception associated with this type of self-medication.

Eighteen private pharmacies were randomly selected in Abidjan. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and reports. Group meetings were organized for private pharmacy clients and the pharmacy staff.

Two hundred and forty-two out of 1,123 purchases of antibiotics were for self-medication (21.5 %). Out of the 1,765 people interviewed, 1,054 (59.7 %) had bought antibiotics for self-medication in the 12 months prior to our study. Pharmacy staff very rarely provided any information to purchasers concerning dose, when to take the medicine, or treatment duration. A logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of self-medication with antibiotics increased with several factors: age, education level, and the possibility of purchasing antibiotics on the marketplace. However, this risk decreased when patients were covered by medical insurance, when the public perceived the risks of self-medication, and when bacterial resistance was clearly defined.

This study was the first in the Ivory Coast to analyze the factors involved in antibiotic self-medication. It stressed the need to establish sustainable interventions to control the antibiotic use.