Perception and practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship in Lahore, Pakistan

Antimicrobial resistance is a major health concern worldwide. Community pharmacists can play an important role in rational antibiotic use. This study aimed to evaluate the perception and practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in Lahore, Pakistan.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Lahore from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Non-probability convenience sampling was performed to select community pharmacists. Descriptive statistics were applied and Mann-Whitney U-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to compare independent groups using SPSS v.20.0. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Perception and practice scores were determined to access community pharmacist knowledge regarding AMS. A score of 0.5-1 was considered to be very good.

The overall response rate was 70.9%. Sex, age, work experience and education level did not significantly influence the perception and practices of community pharmacists. Experienced pharmacists showed a better response to AMS. The majority of pharmacists strongly agreed that they educate patients on the use of antimicrobials and resistance-related issues.

It was concluded that community pharmacists in Lahore have good perception regarding AMS and they are practicing it well. But there are several gaps in their practices that must be filled, such as dispensing without a prescription and dispensing for a longer duration than prescribed. Additionally, there should be strict implementation of guidelines for dispensing antibiotics in order to rationalise antibiotic use and decrease antimicrobial resistance.