Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine
Article info
2024-01-08
2024-05-21
23 - 28
Keywords
- antibiotics
- West Bank/Palestin
- medical prescription
- community pharmacists
- dispensing
Abstract
Introduction Irrational antibiotic use, due to misuse and overuse, exacerbates antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic dispensing without a medical prescription is highly prevalent among community pharmacies, significantly contributing to antibiotic misapplication. Controlling antibiotic use is critical, as is enforcing relevant laws and regulations. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to identify the factors affecting community pharmacists' practices for dispensing antibiotics without medical prescription and, to determine the prevalence of this dispensing. A standardized questionnaire filled out by community pharmacists (277) from the ten West Bank districts between April - and June 2021 was used to collect the data in a convenient sampling method. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version (19). Results: The findings indicated a high prevalence rate (94.2%) of antibiotic dispensing without medical prescriptions. Amoxicillin was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic, it’s dispensing rate reached up to (80.64 %). The most common reasons for dispensing the antibiotics without a medical prescription were “the effectiveness of a specific antibiotic (83.8 %)”, “patients' inability to see a doctor (58.1 %)”, , and “the lack of adverse effects or complications when administering certain antibiotics’(36.8 %)”. While 90.6 % of participating pharmacists were aware of the policy prohibiting dispensing antibiotics without a prescription, 26.4 % opposed it. Recommendation: To prevent antibiotic misuse, officials must enact more restrictions, implement more solutions, and monitor the situation.
AL-Tell, M., Howary, H., Tall, A. A., & Qatawie, I. (2025). Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine. Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, 10(1), 23–28. https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264
[1]M. AL-Tell, H. Howary, A. A. Tall, and I. Qatawie, “Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine,” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 23–28, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.
AL-Tell, Mariam, et al. “Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; a Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine.” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 2025, pp. 23–28. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.
1.AL-Tell M, Howary H, Tall AA, Qatawie I. Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine. Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal [Internet]. 2025 Mar;10(1):23–8. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264
AL-Tell, Mariam, Hiba Howary, Ahmad Amer Tall, and Ismaeil Qatawie. “Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; a Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine.” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal 10, no. 1 (March 2025): 23–28. https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.
Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine
معلومات المقال
2024-01-08
2024-05-21
23 - 28
الكلمات الإفتتاحية
- antibiotics
- West Bank/Palestin
- medical prescription
- community pharmacists
- dispensing
الملخص
Introduction Irrational antibiotic use, due to misuse and overuse, exacerbates antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic dispensing without a medical prescription is highly prevalent among community pharmacies, significantly contributing to antibiotic misapplication. Controlling antibiotic use is critical, as is enforcing relevant laws and regulations. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to identify the factors affecting community pharmacists' practices for dispensing antibiotics without medical prescription and, to determine the prevalence of this dispensing. A standardized questionnaire filled out by community pharmacists (277) from the ten West Bank districts between April - and June 2021 was used to collect the data in a convenient sampling method. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version (19). Results: The findings indicated a high prevalence rate (94.2%) of antibiotic dispensing without medical prescriptions. Amoxicillin was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic, it’s dispensing rate reached up to (80.64 %). The most common reasons for dispensing the antibiotics without a medical prescription were “the effectiveness of a specific antibiotic (83.8 %)”, “patients' inability to see a doctor (58.1 %)”, , and “the lack of adverse effects or complications when administering certain antibiotics’(36.8 %)”. While 90.6 % of participating pharmacists were aware of the policy prohibiting dispensing antibiotics without a prescription, 26.4 % opposed it. Recommendation: To prevent antibiotic misuse, officials must enact more restrictions, implement more solutions, and monitor the situation.
AL-Tell, M., Howary, H., Tall, A. A., & Qatawie, I. (2025). Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine. Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, 10(1), 23–28. https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264
[1]M. AL-Tell, H. Howary, A. A. Tall, and I. Qatawie, “Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine,” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 23–28, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.
AL-Tell, Mariam, et al. “Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; a Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine.” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 2025, pp. 23–28. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.
1.AL-Tell M, Howary H, Tall AA, Qatawie I. Dispensing Antibiotics without prescription among Palestinian pharmacists; a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine. Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal [Internet]. 2025 Mar;10(1):23–8. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264
AL-Tell, Mariam, Hiba Howary, Ahmad Amer Tall, and Ismaeil Qatawie. “Dispensing Antibiotics without Prescription among Palestinian Pharmacists; a Cross-Sectional Study in the West Bank, Palestine.” Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal 10, no. 1 (March 2025): 23–28. https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.10.1.2264.

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