This study was aimed to develop and implement dispensing guidelines for management of upper respiratory tract infection and diarrhea in community pharmacies. Practice guidelines are provided to help decision making in prescribing antibiotics in community pharmacies where information is restricted. Appropriate therapy in upper respiratory tract infection and diarrhea can reduce antibiotic resistance and cost.
Draft guidelines were developed by reviewing literature from various sources such as textbooks and journals, including both diagnosis and treatment. The draft guidelines were piloted in 15 community pharmacies. Eight pharmacists responded concerning the practicability of the guidelines as measured in general satisfaction, usability, contents, and benefits, with a mean (±SD) satisfaction towards the upper respiratory tract infection guideline of 2.60±0.68, 2.90±0.79, 3.3±0.95, and 2.60±0.96, respectively, and for the diarrhea guideline of 3.20±1.06, 3.12±0.69, 3.58±0.90, and 3.10±1.05, respectively. Likert scale of 1 to 5 was used to represent the level of agreement from the least to the most, respectively. The issues considered as inapplicable for community pharmacists were risk assessment in diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infection, physical examination for both diseases, and deciding on the duration of antibiotic treatment, which leads to increased costs and decreased compliance.