"Antibiotics heal all diseases"; the factors influencing the pratices of self-medication with antibiotics in Maputo City, Mozambique.
Background: Antibiotic consumption is the primary driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The non-prescribed use for self-perceived diseases is one of the chief contributing factors to the unwise use of antibiotics as it paves the way to the development, growth, and spread of AMR. We aimed at desc...
| Published in: | Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 73 - 85 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Jan2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=161159982&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 161159982 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 21981833 NENI jtl: Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) issn: 21981833 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2023 vid: 31 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 161159982 10.1007/s10389-020-01416-7 ppf: 73 ppct: 12 formats: tig: atl: "Antibiotics heal all diseases"; the factors influencing the pratices of self-medication with antibiotics in Maputo City, Mozambique. aug: au: Torres, Neusa F. Solomon, Vernon P. Middleton, Lyn E. affil: Instituto Superior de Ciências de Saúde «ISCISA, Higher Institute for Health Sciences», Maputo, Mozambique Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa su: Africa Risk-taking behavior Focus groups Cross-sectional method Nonprescription drugs Interviewing Medical care costs Qualitative research Medical practice Drug side effects Content analysis Self medication Drug resistance in microorganisms Judgment sampling Antibiotics sug: subj: Risk-taking behavior Focus groups Cross-sectional method Nonprescription drugs Interviewing Medical care costs Qualitative research Medical practice Drug side effects Content analysis Africa Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers Self medication Drug resistance in microorganisms Judgment sampling Antibiotics keyword: Antimicrobial resistance Cultural beliefs Health-seeking behavior Mozambique Self-medication Therapeutic itineraries Antimicrobial resistance Cultural beliefs Health-seeking behavior Mozambique Self-medication Therapeutic itineraries ab: Background: Antibiotic consumption is the primary driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The non-prescribed use for self-perceived diseases is one of the chief contributing factors to the unwise use of antibiotics as it paves the way to the development, growth, and spread of AMR. We aimed at describing the underlying factors influencing self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) in Maputo city, Mozambique. Methodology: A qualitative cross sectional study was conducted between October 2018 and March 2019 with 32 participants. Using purposeful sampling, participants were recruited and interviewed after purchasing antibiotics without prescriptions from nine pharmacies in Maputo city. Out of 32 participants, 20 enrolled for individual in-depth interviews and 12 for focus group discussions that were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using latent content analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist by (Tong et al. Int J Qual Health Care 19:349–357, 2007) was performed. Results: The participants declared recurrent practices of SMA to treat self-perceived illnesses. The private pharmacies were the main platform to access the non-prescribed antibiotics (NPA). The main factors driving the pratices of SMA were the easy availability of antibiotics, previous experience with antibiotics, easy access to pharmacist's advice, long wait to access health care facilities, perceived poor quality of assistance at health care facilities, considering minor illness that do not need to seek professional health care, influencing role of the people from the social circle, cultural beliefs on the healing power of antibiotics, and time and financial constraints. Conclusion: The practices of SMA are influenced by various factors that flow from the health care system, to the participant's health-seeking behavior. These are reinforced by the public's cultural belief that "antibiotics heal all diseases," which determines the social representations of medicines shape the attitudes and behaviors of SMA. The culturally rooted behavior, the social representations of the health care system, and the therapeutic itineraries the public adopt are to be considered as having an ever-present effect on all different stages of the disease and healing process. Understanding the phenomenon of SMA to better address the promotion of rational use of antibiotics is urgently needed in Mozambique. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|