Home / Current Issue / Paper 1722875
Antibiotic and Antimalarial Self-Medication Among Community Pharmacy Clients in the Niger Delta: A Stewardship and Antimicrobial Resistance Perspective
Subject area: Biological & Medical Sciences · Area of research: Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Science, Medicine
DOI: 10.64388/IREV10I3-1722875
Abstract
Background: Self-medication with antimicrobial agents is a well-recognised driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a risk that is amplified in low- and middle-income countries where regulatory oversight of prescription-only medicines remains limited. Community pharmacies, although intended to function as gatekeepers of rational medicine use, may inadvertently serve as an unsupervised supply channel for antimicrobial agents. Objective: This study sought to quantify the prevalence and pattern of antibiotic and antimalarial self-medication among community pharmacy clients in Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA), Bayelsa State, Nigeria, and to interpret these findings within an antimicrobial stewardship framework. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was undertaken among 554 adult community pharmacy clients, recruited through stratified random sampling and assessed using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data pertaining to self-medicated drug categories, indications, knowledge of self-medication and its consequences, and sources of information were analysed descriptively. Results: Overall, 59.0% of respondents (327/554) reported having self-medicated within the preceding six months. Antibiotics (13.5%) and antimalarials (10.1%) constituted the second- and third-most frequently self-medicated drug categories, surpassed only by sexual enhancement products (30.9%). Infection (16.5%) and malaria/fever (13.1%) were, respectively, the second- and fourth-most commonly reported indications. Notably, 82.1% of respondents correctly identified that self-medication may precipitate adverse drug reactions, drug interactions and antimicrobial resistance, while 85.4% recognised the danger of altering medication dosage without professional consultation — findings that indicate awareness of AMR-related risk without a corresponding change in behaviour. Social media (33.9%) and personal knowledge (31.5%) were the principal sources of information underpinning self-medication, with a doctor or pharmacist cited as the information source in only 17.4% of instances. Conclusion: A substantial minority of community pharmacy clients in this Niger Delta population self-medicate with antibiotics and antimalarials despite widespread awareness of AMR-related risk, suggesting that this behaviour reflects an awareness-behaviour gap rather than a knowledge deficit. These findings lend support to pharmacy-level antimicrobial stewardship interventions, dispensing-point restrictions on antibiotic sales, and the design of behavioural, rather than purely educational, interventions.
Keywords
antibiotic self-medication; antimalarial; antimicrobial resistance; community pharmacy; stewardship; Nigeria
References
[1] Akande-Sholabi, W., Ajamu, A. T., & Adisa, R. (2021). Prevalence, knowledge and perception of self-medication practice among undergraduate healthcare students. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 14, 49.
[2] Aljeldah, M. M. (2022). Antimicrobial resistance and its spread is a global threat. Antibiotics, 11(8), 1082.
[3] Bassi, P. U., Osakwe, A. I., Builders, M., Ettebong, E., Kola, G., Binga, B., & Oreagba, I. (2021). Prevalence and determinants of self-medication practices among Nigerians. African Journal of Health Sciences, 34(5), 634–647.
[4] Bustanji, Y., Taneera, J., Bargooth, A., Abuhelwa, A., Issa, A., El-Huneidi, W., Abu-Gharbieh, E., Alzoubi, K. H., Alqudah, M. A. Y., Alhusban, A., Hamad, I., Faris, M. E., & Semreen, M. H. (2024). Exploring the global landscape of self-medication among students: Trends, risks, and recommendations for safe and responsible practices. Pharmacy Practice, 22(1), 2928.
[5] Izuka, M. O., et al. (2024). Prevalence and pattern of self-medication with antibiotics among residents of Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria: A call for action. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health.
[6] Popoola, A., et al. (2024). A national survey of the antibiotic use, self-medication practices, and knowledge of antibiotic resistance among graduates of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Scientific African.
[7] Torres, N. F., Chibi, B., Middleton, L. E., Solomon, V. P., & Mashamba-Thompson, T. P. (2019). Evidence of factors influencing self-medication with antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review. Public Health, 168, 92–101.
[8] World Health Organization. (1998). The role of the pharmacist in self-care and self-medication. WHO/DAP/98.13. Geneva: World Health Organization.
[9] Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
How to cite this paper
@article{1722875,
author = {Timi Fiekumo Buseri, Chibuzor Perpetua Ezeorah Chidiebere},
title = {Antibiotic and Antimalarial Self-Medication Among Community Pharmacy Clients in the Niger Delta: A Stewardship and Antimicrobial Resistance Perspective},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {1034-1039},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722875.pdf},
abstract = {Background: Self-medication with antimicrobial agents is a well-recognised driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a risk that is amplified in low- and middle-income countries where regulatory oversight of prescription-only medicines remains limited. Community pharmacies, although intended to function as gatekeepers of rational medicine use, may inadvertently serve as an unsupervised supply channel for antimicrobial agents. Objective: This study sought to quantify the prevalence and pattern of antibiotic and antimalarial self-medication among community pharmacy clients in Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA), Bayelsa State, Nigeria, and to interpret these findings within an antimicrobial stewardship framework. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was undertaken among 554 adult community pharmacy clients, recruited through stratified random sampling and assessed using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data pertaining to self-medicated drug categories, indications, knowledge of self-medication and its consequences, and sources of information were analysed descriptively. Results: Overall, 59.0% of respondents (327/554) reported having self-medicated within the preceding six months. Antibiotics (13.5%) and antimalarials (10.1%) constituted the second- and third-most frequently self-medicated drug categories, surpassed only by sexual enhancement products (30.9%). Infection (16.5%) and malaria/fever (13.1%) were, respectively, the second- and fourth-most commonly reported indications. Notably, 82.1% of respondents correctly identified that self-medication may precipitate adverse drug reactions, drug interactions and antimicrobial resistance, while 85.4% recognised the danger of altering medication dosage without professional consultation — findings that indicate awareness of AMR-related risk without a corresponding change in behaviour. Social media (33.9%) and personal knowledge (31.5%) were the principal sources of information underpinning self-medication, with a doctor or pharmacist cited as the information source in only 17.4% of instances. Conclusion: A substantial minority of community pharmacy clients in this Niger Delta population self-medicate with antibiotics and antimalarials despite widespread awareness of AMR-related risk, suggesting that this behaviour reflects an awareness-behaviour gap rather than a knowledge deficit. These findings lend support to pharmacy-level antimicrobial stewardship interventions, dispensing-point restrictions on antibiotic sales, and the design of behavioural, rather than purely educational, interventions.},
keywords = {antibiotic self-medication; antimalarial; antimicrobial resistance; community pharmacy; stewardship; Nigeria},
month = {September},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I3-1722875}
}