Malak Khalifeh^{1, 2,}, Nicholas Moore¹, Pascale Salameh²

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic used in community based pharmacy setting. Method: It is a cross sectional prospective study in a community-based pharmacy setting in Lebanon. It uses a structured random interview to patients visiting a community pharmacy and seeking for antibiotics. Baseline characteristics and reason for self-medication were collected. Completing the questionnaire after 30 days provided information on adherence and usage pattern. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to predict factors affecting appropriateness. Results: 62.7% of 501 participants bought antibiotics without prescription. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was the most used antibiotic as self-medication (33.7%). 62.4% of patients used the right antibiotic and 80.1% used it in correct dosage. The duration of treatment was inappropriate in the majority of cases (68.6%). When all of these three factors were summed together, it turned out that 83.6% of antibiotics were utilized inappropriately. Appropriateness in use was seen in 27.6% and 16.4% of the prescribed and non-prescribed antibiotics respectively. Conclusion: Our study shows great misuse of antibiotics and hence there is a need to increase awareness of the health risks related to inappropriate and uncontrolled use of antibiotics.

self-medication, antibiotic, Lebanon, misuse, appropriate use