Introducing Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (MRDTs) at Registered Retail Pharmacies in Ghana: Practitioners’ Perspective
Audu Rauf
Kama Health Service, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana and Department of Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Berko Panyin Anto
Department of Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
George Asumeng Koffuor *
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Kwame Ohene Buabeng
Department of Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Mohammed Abdul-Kabir
Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: In much of Africa, Ghana inclusive, malaria has traditionally been diagnosed and treated presumptively: any patient with fever was presumed to have malaria and treated with antimalarial drugs. In this study, the retail pharmacies practitioners’ perspectives on the implementation of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests was sought and decisions analyzed in themes, using Realist Conceptual Approach.
Study Design: Cross-sectional quantitative and purposive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Registered private pharmacies in Ashanti Region of Ghana, between September and November, 2013.
Methodology: A structured pre-tested questionnaires (in non-study area) was self-administered to 99 practitioners in retail pharmacies to generated information on Practitioner’s characteristics, knowledge and experience on the MRDT kits, acceptance and willingness to use the test kits and challenge towards the use of the kit, for the thematic analysis.
Results: Practitioners within the age bracket of 30-40 years were highest (43%) and male representation was 67%. Pharmacists were 67% of practitioners and 17.1% had postgraduate qualification. 96.03% had ample knowledge of test kit and 0.99% use it always and logistic regression indicated no significance (Chi-square=0.751; LR=0.540 at p<0.05). Of the patients, 47.52% strongly agree to implement and 48.51 agree. 60.39% were definite to suggest to colleague and logistic regression indicated significant relation (Chi-square=0.000; LR=0.006 at p<0.05). 44.4% were very satisfied with presumptive diagnosis while 1% very dissatisfied.
Conclusion: The findings indicated willingness to implement the policy but presumptive diagnosis is still the practice. The evidence provides an opportunity to adapt a conceptual framework leading to the uptake of the policy.
Keywords: Malaria rapid diagnostic test, presumptive malaria treatment, realist concept approach, private retail pharmacies.