Social, behavioural and economic drivers of inappropriate antibiotic use by informal private healthcare providers in rural India. (360G-Wellcome-206011_Z_16_Z)

This is an exploratory study of the social, economic and behavioural drivers of antibiotic use in informal providers in rural areas of the state of West Bengal in India. In pluralistic health systems of low and middle income countries (LMICs), including in India, the bulk of healthcare at first contact is delivered by providers who may not have a formal medical qualification but practice a range of biomedical treatments, including treatment with antibiotics. They are known by different names such as drug sellers, village doctors or rural medical practitioners and are found all over Asia and Africa. Evidence suggests that their antibiotic use is high and irrational, and interventions that have focused on training and recognition of IPs have not succeeded in lowering their antibiotic use. Antibiotic use is one of the most critical components of IPs' quality of care that needs to be addressed urgently. Excessive dispensing/prescription of antibiotics by healthcare providers including IPs in LMICs is one of the reasons for overuse of antibiotics in humans leading to increasing antibiotic resistance which is a major global health threat today. We will conduct structured interviews with a sample of 100 IPs each in two districts (total 200), selected through stratified random sampling, followed by in-depth interviews and observations at 30 IP clinics, focus group discussions with community members and key informant interviews with government, pharmaceutical and formal medical sector representatives. In small group workshops with IPs, communities, and with the other stakeholders, we will present ideas for different interventions and seek feedback from participants on what they think would be the most effective and feasible. This will help us develop a plan for implementing and evaluating a comprehensive intervention in future.

Where is this data from?

This data was originally published by The Wellcome Trust. If you see something about your organisation or the funding it has received on this page that doesn't look right you can submit a grantee amendment request. You can hover over codes from standard codelists to see the user-friendly name provided by 360Giving.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded 99434
Applicant Surname Gautham
Approval Committee Joint Health Systems Research Committee
Award Date 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2015/16
Grant Programme: Title Joint Health Systems Research Award
Internal ID 206011/Z/16/Z
Lead Applicant Dr Meenakshi Gautham
Partnership Name Joint health systems research initiative
Partnership Value 99434
Planned Dates: End Date 2017-12-31T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2016-07-01T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region Greater London