Antibiotic dispensing by drug store personnel in Bangkok, Thailand

The current pattern of antibiotic use by drug store personnel in Bangkok was examined. Ten well-trained medical students (simulated patients) presented to 40 randomly selected drug stores with common complaints, namely urethral discharge, acute watery diarrhoea, fever with sore throat, coryza, skin infection and acute dysuria. Analysis of medications obtained revealed that 50-100% of drug stores dispensed antibiotics for each condition. Co-trimoxazole, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, penicillin V and tetracycline were commonly given. Most antibiotics were dispensed inappropriately with respect to choice of drug and duration of treatment. The cost per treatment varied from 20 cents to 6 $US. Strategies to promote rational use are proposed.