Pharmacy dispensing practices for children with diarrhoea in Trinidad and Tobago - abstract

ABSTRACT

A survey was conducted among 81 pharmacies randomly selected from among 253 pharmacies in Trinidad and Tobago. The aim of the study was to investigate the pharmacy dispensing practices for children with diarrhoea in Trinidad and Tobago. Two local women representing a low-income mother (LIM) and a middle-income mother (MIM) were trained to present the pharmacies with a brief fictitious description of their infant with diarrhoea. Pharmacists' history and advice were noted and the drugs dispensed were bought. Forty-two (51.8 percent) pharmacies gave appropriate treatment and 39 (48.2 percent) dispensed drugs to MIM., where as 54 (66.7 percent) pharmacies dispensed drugs and 27 (33.3 percent) gave appropriate treatment to LIM. Discontinuation of milk feed was advised by 60 (74.1 percent) pharmacies to the LIM and 52 (62.4 percent) pharmacies to the MIM. In order to improve pharmacists' dispensing practices and quality of advice offered, appropriate training programmes should be set up. A national diarrhoeal disease control policy should be formulated and implemented. This would serve as an instrument for rationalizing drug usage. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) should be established in health centres throughout the country and public awareness of ORT should be enhanced (AU)