Perceptions and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship among community pharmacists in a suburb district in Hanoi, Vietnam

Tóm tắt

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) including antibiotic resistance is considered one of the greatest threats to global health with an important reason being irrational use of antibiotics in the community. In Vietnam, antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have mostly been implemented in hospitals. Understanding the perceptions and practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship is crucial for developing and implementing effective ASPs in the community setting. Objective: To assess the perceptions and practices regarding antimicrobial stewardship among pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Chuong My district, Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire was distributed to pharmacists working in community pharmacies. Descriptive statistics, as well as Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, were used for data analysis. Results: Community pharmacists were aware of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship. The study participants perceived that antimicrobial stewardship could reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community (98%); They also perceived the need for continuous training related to antimicrobial stewardship (95%). Additionally, 80.8% of the participants supported integrating ASPs into community pharmacy practice. However, inappropriate antibiotic dispensing practices were self-reported. Specifically, 89.9% of the participants have dispensed antibiotics without prescriptions; 71.7% based on customer requests and 88.9% based on their own assessment of symptoms. Conclusions: Therefore, drug administration authorities need to strengthen periodic inspections, especially to develop and implement community-based antibiotic stewardship programs targeting drug retail establishments. Regular continuous trainings organised by pharmaceutical training institutions or pharmacy associations on antimicrobial stewawrdship for community pharmacists can enhance their knowledge, thus improve their practices towards appropriate use of antibiotics in the community.