Developing Strategies For Combating Antimicrobial Resistance In Community Pharmacies

Antibiotic resistance represents a major global health threat, the scale of which is often exacerbated by misuse of antibiotics and weak regulatory environments, a key issue in low and middle-income countries. This study looks at how community pharmacies in India can address Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), through pharmacy staff and patients’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). Data were collected using a mixed methodology from 250 pharmacy staff and 300 patients in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Pharmacy staff knowledge levels were found to be moderate, with significant geographic disparities towards urban areas, and positive, but uneven, attitudes toward AMR management. Practice compliance scores (PCS) were variable, with the highest adherence (80%) in urban pharmacies and the lowest (65%) in rural pharmacies. Awareness about AMR was critically low (30%), and a high rate of self medication (55%) was present, driven by past experience with antibiotics and convenience. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions, but they also need pharmacy staff training programs, public education campaigns and the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) targeted to their local context. In response, it underscores the need for regulatory reform that will support the enforcement of prescription requirements, and enhance the dispensing practices. This has implications for LMICs, and provides a framework for leveraging community pharmacies to address AMR. Community pharmacies have the capacity to transform their role in reducing AMR and protecting public health by filling in the identified gaps.