TY - JOUR
T1 - Administrative practices of health professionals and use of artesunate-amodiaquine by community members for treating uncomplicated malaria in southern Ghana
T2 - Implications for artemisinin-based combination therapy deployment
AU - Kwansa-Bentum, Bethel
AU - Ayi, Irene
AU - Suzuki, Takashi
AU - Otchere, Joseph
AU - Kumagai, Takashi
AU - Anyan, William K.
AU - Asahi, Hiroko
AU - Akao, Nobuaki
AU - Wilson, Michael D.
AU - Boakye, Daniel A.
AU - Ohta, Nobuo
PY - 2011/10
Y1 - 2011/10
N2 - Objective To investigate the use of artemisinin-based combination and monotherapy by community members and the administrative practices of health professionals in treating malaria in Ghana. Method This study is a community-based cross-sectional survey in 11 rural and urban areas in southern Ghana. Using the interviewer method, close-ended questionnaires were administered to community members. Similar questionnaires were also administered in health facilities, community pharmacies and licensed chemical shops. Results A total of 1085 individuals comprising 959 non-health professionals and 126 health professionals were interviewed. Fifty-seven per cent of the community members visit pharmacies/drug stores as the first point of call when they suspect malaria. According to the participating drug sellers, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) is the most prescribed/sold anti-malarial drug (59.2%), followed by dihydroartemisinin (35%), sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (33.0%) and artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ) (27.2%). The majority of customers who visit pharmacies or drug stores without prescription have their anti-malarial drug selected by the shop attendant; in situations like that, dihydroartemisinin and artesunate monotherapies are sold just as AS-AQ and AL. Chloroquine is still sold by some drug vendors, 5years after its proscription. Conclusion Whereas the use of AS-AQ and AL are acceptable, the frequent use of dihydroartemisinin and artesunate monotherapy threatens the future of ACTs.
AB - Objective To investigate the use of artemisinin-based combination and monotherapy by community members and the administrative practices of health professionals in treating malaria in Ghana. Method This study is a community-based cross-sectional survey in 11 rural and urban areas in southern Ghana. Using the interviewer method, close-ended questionnaires were administered to community members. Similar questionnaires were also administered in health facilities, community pharmacies and licensed chemical shops. Results A total of 1085 individuals comprising 959 non-health professionals and 126 health professionals were interviewed. Fifty-seven per cent of the community members visit pharmacies/drug stores as the first point of call when they suspect malaria. According to the participating drug sellers, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) is the most prescribed/sold anti-malarial drug (59.2%), followed by dihydroartemisinin (35%), sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (33.0%) and artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ) (27.2%). The majority of customers who visit pharmacies or drug stores without prescription have their anti-malarial drug selected by the shop attendant; in situations like that, dihydroartemisinin and artesunate monotherapies are sold just as AS-AQ and AL. Chloroquine is still sold by some drug vendors, 5years after its proscription. Conclusion Whereas the use of AS-AQ and AL are acceptable, the frequent use of dihydroartemisinin and artesunate monotherapy threatens the future of ACTs.
KW - Artesunate-amodiaquine
KW - Community members
KW - Compliance
KW - Ghana
KW - Health professionals
KW - Malaria
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052911732&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02833.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02833.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 21740487
AN - SCOPUS:80052911732
SN - 1360-2276
VL - 16
SP - 1215
EP - 1224
JO - Tropical Medicine and International Health
JF - Tropical Medicine and International Health
IS - 10
ER -