Evaluating Medicines Dispensing Patterns at Private Community Pharmacies in Tamilnadu, India (Research Brief) (Report‪)‬

Rational use of medicine is defined as when patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet their own individual requirements, for an adequate period of time, and at affordable prices (1). The existence of widespread unregulated supply of medicines has been reported in developing countries (2-5) and several studies have examined deficiencies in over the counter medicine use (6-8). Dispensing medicines in an appropriate manner is a key element to promote rational medicine use hence the dispenser/drug seller should be regularly updated with information and other related skills (9). Unlike other countries, the current regulations in India do not require pharmacists to periodically update their knowledge and skills. In addition, existing regulations restricting the dispensing or sale of medicines are not strictly implemented and enforced. In many developing countries including India, private community pharmacies are the main source of medicines. Consumers tend to utilize private pharmacies rather than public facilities (4,8,10,11). This is due to factors such as ease of access, shorter waiting time, more flexible opening hours, availability of cheaper medicines and availability of credit. However the quality of dispensing provided seems to be inappropriate and is way below than acceptable levels of "Good Pharmacy Practice" (7,12-15). In India, dispensing is undertaken by pharmacists and drug retailers or sellers (16,17). Drug sellers or retailers include individuals who are only associated with private pharmacies, but do not have formal training in dispensing medicines and may not have even have obtained secondary school education. Hence, the aim of our study was to investigate patterns of dispensing of medicines at private community pharmacies in two selected towns of Tamilnadu state, India and to identify and analyze problems in medicine supply and dispensing.