Abstract:
The Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets form the lowest level of health care delivery in
Tanzania. Inspite of the course offered to dispensers in ADDOs by the Tanzania Food and
Drugs Authority; on detection and treatment of common infectious diseases; there has been a
gap on patient’s assessment, diagnosis, treatment and counselling tasks in accordance with the
evidence based standards. This study assessed the dispensers’ knowledge, drugs stocked and
dispensing practises in ADDOs in Morogoro Region.
A cross-sectional analytical study of 220 randomly selected dispensers from 220 ADDOs in
the three Districts of Morogoro Region; conducted between October and December 2012.
Questionnaire interview sessions conducted to assess knowledge of malaria symptoms and
reported practises. A checklist was used to assess presence of anti-malarial drugs, treatment
supplies and guidelines available. The actual practises were assessed using the “Simulated
clients” method. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. Chi square test was used to
compare proportions and a p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 was considered statistically
significant.
Of the total dispensers, Nurse Assistants 206 (94%), Nurse Officers 9 (4.1%); Clinical
Officers 3 (1.4%) and Pharmaceutical Assistants 2 (0.9%). More than half (54%) of them
attained secondary while the rest had primary education. 185 (84.1%) of the total, trained
TFDA special course. Among dispensers, 90% had the knowledge to pick at least two
symptoms of uncomplicated malaria in both children and adults. Likewise 67% of them could
do the same for severe malaria in both groups. With TFDA taining the likelyhood of correctly
identifying the symptoms of malaria was higher in those trained (P<0.05), compared to those
who did not. More than 90% of ADDOs stock and dispense antimalarial monotherapies at
equal proportion with subsidized ALu. The results have shown that, dispensers have
knowledge to at least make syndromic management of malaria in ADDOs. The TFDA training
course to dispensers has been significant finding.Antimalarial monotherapies area still stocked
and dispensed to patients in ADDOs.
