A Study of Antibiotic Use and Abuse in Ghana: a case study of the Cape Coast Metropolis

Abstract

Recent trends of antibiotic misuse with its attendant resistance development neccissated this study to determine patient’s perspective and involvement in the use and abuse of antibiotics in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. A purposive sampling of 530 patients from 15 years and above patronizing 11 pharmacy shops in the Cape Coast Metropolis was undertaken by administering questionnaires and interviews. 59.9% of the interviewees were aware of the harmful potential of antibiotics abuse yet a significant number (71.5%) purchase antibiotics without prescriptions with 69.9% personally requesting specific drugs without seeking advice from the pharmacists (P<0.01). A significant amount of the antibiotics purchased was Amoxicillin (71.5%) whilst Cold/Running Nose (50.8%) and Cough/Chest pains (33.1%) were the highest reasons for antibiotic purchases respectively. About 25.4% of patients purchased the drug without any sign or symptom of illness whilst 18.5% of the patients confirmed the drug did not work when used for the illness for which they were purchasing the last time. However, 70.8% of the patients have at least secondary education. This research work exposes the abuse of antibiotics, the nature of the abuse and the drugs abused in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana.