Acceptability and availability of dispersible Amoxicillin tablets in Primary Healthcare: Implications in the Pharmacotherapeutic Management of childhood Pneumonia

Abstract

Amoxicillin is an effective antibiotic treatment for bacterial pneumonia among children. Pneumonia still claims many young lives because some communities do not have the right formulations for children. Across-sectional quantitative survey was designed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended methods. 32 Comprehensive Primary Health Centers (CPHC) were randomly selected and the first five prescriptions of Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in children under-five years were assessed for the prescriber's choice of antibiotic, giving a sample size of 160 prescriptions. The availability of Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablet (ADT) across the health facilities pharmacies was 100%. ADT as the prescriber's choice of antibiotics for CAP was 53.13%. This was closely followed by the suspension dosage form (30.63%) and the injections route.ADT was available in CPHC of Lagos State but does not translate to good access, as it was not sufficiently prescribed.