TY - JOUR
T1 - Caretaker compliance with different antibiotic formulations for treatment of childhood pneumonia
AU - Ellerbeck, Edward
AU - Khallaf, Nagwa
AU - El Ansary, K. S.
AU - Moursi, Salama
AU - Black, Robert
N1 - Funding Information:
Pneumonia may be the most common cause of childhood mortality worldwide with an estimated 4 million children dying of respiratory infections each year.1 Most of these deaths could be prevented by proper identification and treatment of cases of suspected pneumonia. Most children with pneumonia Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Dr Haidir Ghaleb, Dr Ehsan Ragab, Mr Mohie Ali El Khateeb, Dr Mahmoud Khedr, Dr Allen Lewis, Mr Mohammed Khial, Dr Shabrawy Osman Aly, Dr Ibrahim El Dosoky, Dr Ibrahim Eid, and Dr M. Yehia El Sorogy whose invaluable assistance made this study possible. The cotrimoxazole sachets used in this study were developed and supplied by Nasr Pharmaceuticals, Cairo, Egypt. This study was supported by the US Agency for International Development with administrative assistance from Gark Atlanta University.
PY - 1995/4
Y1 - 1995/4
N2 - Summary: To determine the effect of antibiotic formulations on compliance, 400 children, aged 2 months to 5 years, with a presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia, were randomly assigned to receive one of the following formulations of cotrimoxazole:. syrup accompanied by a 10-ml measuring cup;. syrup accompanied by a 5-ml measuring spoon;. tablets;. single-dose sachets of antibiotic powder.A research assistant visited the child's home on the fourth day of therapy, asked the care-giver about compliance, and observed the care-giver prepare a dose of the medication. The remaining amount of medicine was measured, and when possible (n=151), a urine specimen was tested for the presence of sulphamethoxazole.All of the care-givers reported giving at least one dose on the first day of therapy. By the fourth day, 82 per cent of those receiving syrup were still taking their medication compared to 71 and 55 per cent of those receiving sachets or tablets, respectively (P < 0.01). Of those who received syrup accompanied by a spoon, 38 per cent under-dosed the medicine by at least 30 per cent. Overall, compliance was highly correlated with the care-giver's report of difficulty in administering the medication. Additional research is needed to understand the obstacles encountered by care-givers in administering sachets and tablets. Meanwhile, the use of antibiotic syrup, accompanied by an appropriately sized measuring cup, appears to offer the greatest probability of medication compliance in the treatment of Egyptian children with pneumonia
AB - Summary: To determine the effect of antibiotic formulations on compliance, 400 children, aged 2 months to 5 years, with a presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia, were randomly assigned to receive one of the following formulations of cotrimoxazole:. syrup accompanied by a 10-ml measuring cup;. syrup accompanied by a 5-ml measuring spoon;. tablets;. single-dose sachets of antibiotic powder.A research assistant visited the child's home on the fourth day of therapy, asked the care-giver about compliance, and observed the care-giver prepare a dose of the medication. The remaining amount of medicine was measured, and when possible (n=151), a urine specimen was tested for the presence of sulphamethoxazole.All of the care-givers reported giving at least one dose on the first day of therapy. By the fourth day, 82 per cent of those receiving syrup were still taking their medication compared to 71 and 55 per cent of those receiving sachets or tablets, respectively (P < 0.01). Of those who received syrup accompanied by a spoon, 38 per cent under-dosed the medicine by at least 30 per cent. Overall, compliance was highly correlated with the care-giver's report of difficulty in administering the medication. Additional research is needed to understand the obstacles encountered by care-givers in administering sachets and tablets. Meanwhile, the use of antibiotic syrup, accompanied by an appropriately sized measuring cup, appears to offer the greatest probability of medication compliance in the treatment of Egyptian children with pneumonia
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U2 - 10.1093/tropej/41.2.103
DO - 10.1093/tropej/41.2.103
M3 - Article
C2 - 7776391
AN - SCOPUS:0028943225
SN - 0142-6338
VL - 41
SP - 103
EP - 108
JO - Journal of tropical pediatrics
JF - Journal of tropical pediatrics
IS - 2
ER -