Abstract

Abstract

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effects of pharmacy personnel of the drugstores in the center of Şanlıurfa to rational drug usage in childhood pneumonia patients. The approach of pharmacists and pharmacy personnel to patients with pneumonia was written down on a datasheet in 158 pharmacies located in the center Şanlıurfa. 18% of personnel were pharmacist who met relatives of theoretical-patient. Only 40.8% of pharmacy personnel advised the theoretical-patient to go to hospital. It is observed that 94.4% of pharmacy personnel gave unnecessary drugs to the patients. Among the suggested medicines in this study, cough drugs were in the first line by 41.7%, antibiotics were second (32.5%) and antipiretics were the third by 20.4%. According to Turkish Thoracic Society guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of pneumonia, only %36 of the antibiotics were appropriate. It was observed that inappropriate drug usage increased the mean treatment cost 1.81 YTL. When pharmacists were compared with pharmacy personnel, 89.7% of pharmacists have asked much more meaningful questions for the diagnosis of the disease and for the care of patients. In conclusion, in pharmacies in the center of Şanlıurfa, about 75% of pharmacy personnel suggested medical treatment to the patients who come with symptoms of pneumonia instead of refering to doctors and about all of them offer the patients unnecessary but effective substance and majority of the antibiotics suggested were inappropriate.