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Perception and practices of antimicrobial stewardship by community pharmacists in Aden-Yemen

Mohammed Alshakka, Wafa F Badulla, Awsan Bahattab, Nazeh Al-Abd, Mansour A Mahmoud, Yasser Alahmadi, Syed Wajid, Omer Attef

Introduction: Antimicrobials are among the most widely used and misused medicines worldwide. Resistance to antimicrobials is an emerging global issue, mainly in developing countries. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are therefore important, but their implementation in Yemen warrants investigation. Objective: The study aimed to determine the perception and self-reported practices of AMS by community pharmacists in Aden, Yemen. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to May 2019 using pre-designed structured questionnaire. The Statistical Package for Social Science was used for data analysis version 22 (SPSS Incorporation, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Three hundred community pharmacists were audited, of which, 219 were males (73.0%) and 81 (27.0%) were females. Fifty-nine percent of the pharmacists were familiar with the vital role of AMS program and it is importance in enhancing patient care. Less than half of the respondents (45.3%) strongly agreed and 50.7% agreed that the program should be incorporated at the pharmacy level. Less than half (42%) agreed and 20% strongly agreed that Pharmacists have a responsibility to take prominent role in antimicrobial stewardship and infection control programs in health system. However, the practice of AMS program was found to be inadequate. For instance, 19.7% often dispense antibiotics without a prescription. Conclusion: The current study showed that pharmacists are adequately aware of AMS. Undesirably, however, practice of AMS was found to be inadequate. The study highlighted gaps in the perception and practice of community pharmacist and the urgent need to implement AMS program in community pharmacy.