Investigation of Community Pharmacists Response to Common Symptoms in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

The study was conducted in order to investigate what advice community pharmacists in Dar vs Salaam give to their clients when they visit their pharmacies with complaints of common symptoms of illness. Thirty pharmacies were randomly selected in Ilala District in Dar es Salaam and visited to seek for advice on three identified symptoms, namely, diarrhea, headache and sore throat. Three researchers visited each pharmacy once so that each pharmacy would be visited three times in all. On a few occasions a visit was not possible because of early closing or refusal for treatment. The pattern of advises and drugs given were interpreted in relation to the National Drug Policy and the Treatment Guidelines of Tanzania (NDPTGT). Out of the 26 pharmacies visited to seek advice on diarrhoea, 3 (11%) pharmacies recommended oral rehydration salt (ORS) only, 11% oral rehydration salts plus other drugs, while 9% recommended to see a doctor only, and 19% to see a doctor plus drugs. The rest (50%) recommended drugs only. In case of headache, 70% of the 28 pharmacies visited provided treatment according to the NDPTGT guidelines. For sore throat, 88% suggested symptomatic treatment, which is the recommended treatment by NDPTGT. The remaining 12% recommended use of antibiotics, which is occasionally used in clinical practice in case bacterial or viral infection is seen as the cause of the symptoms.
The study showed that pharmacists do attend to clients seeking treatment for common symptoms before they go to doctors. They advise their clients to see a doctor with or without selling them drugs. Most of their advises were in line with NDPTGT in the case of headache and sore throat but not diarrhoea (50% recommended drugs only). The pattern of drugs sold to the clients suggests that pharmacists in Dar es Salaam do not practice poly-pharmacy.