Availability and Types of Pressure Ulcer Medications at Community Pharmacies in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana

Pressure ulcers (PU) arise from prolonged pressure on the skin and underlying tissue due to pathological changes in blood flow. They usually develop in people who are immobilized due to certain medical conditions. The incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardio-vascular diseases are on the ascendency. These conditions, if not managed adequately could render patients incapacitated, leaving them bedridden for long periods. The chances of these individuals developing PU are very high. Currently in Ghana, information on medications for the management of various stages of PU are not readily available. Prevention of PU has been the goal of nursing care, however, in the case where preventive care is not successful, there should be effective and efficient medications for the management of the PU. <i>Method:</i> The study design was descriptive cross-sectional. To get a good representation of the availability of PU medications in the entire metropolis, a stratified sampling approach was used. The 10 districts within the metropolitan area were taken as the strata. Towns within each district were identified, and mapped out. From each town, community pharmacies were randomly selected. It was ensured that pharmacies selected were well spread out (located distance apart). Researchers had to collect data from three or more pharmacies from each town. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire from pharmacists working in these pharmacies. By this approach, the availability of PU medications across the entire metropolitan area was revealed. <i>Results:</i> 241 pharmacies were visited, out of which 192 respondents took part in the study. Approximately 83.3% of these pharmacies had pressure ulcer medications. Majority of the medications available in the community pharmacies visited were hydrophobic based dressings., while hydrophilic based dressings were less than 1%. Implying that patients having PU that produce scopious exudate will have challenges acquiring the necessary dressings to manage the wounds. The dressings which were mostly available, had other indications apart from Pressure Ulcer. Patronage of the available PU medications in the Accra metropolis was average. <i>Conclusion:</i> There are pressure ulcer medications available in pharmacies within the Accra metropolis of Ghana. Although the medications are averagely patronized, there are not many types available. Hydrophilic based dressings were not readily available.