Dissertation Research: Self Medication with Antibiotics of Women in Zaire

该项目涉及凯斯西储大学一名人类学学生的论文研究。 该项目旨在研究扎伊尔地区城市妇女自我使用抗生素的性质。 该学生假设，无论疾病观念或症状严重程度如何，抗生素自我治疗已成为女性的首选疗法。 该研究将通过深入访谈、系统启发技术和相对较小的一组女性的开放式问题来收集育龄女性的数据。根据所获得的知识，将设计一项调查，并针对通过多阶段抽样方法选出的约 250 名女性进行调查。 从该样本中，我们将对 15 名报告有 STD 症状经历的女性进行深入访谈，以检查决策的实际背景。 药剂师和其他抗生素药品供应商也将接受采访。 这项研究很重要，因为在发展中国家，强效抗生素药物通常在没有处方或其他专家医疗控制的情况下出售，导致耐药疾病菌株的发展。 该项目关于人们如何以及为何进行自我药疗的新知识对于健康规划者和决策者设计解决健康需求的方案非常有价值，同时最大限度地减少抗生素药物的不当使用。

This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from Case Western Reserve University. The project is to study the nature of self-medication with antibiotics by women in a regional city in Zaire. The student hypothesizes that self-treatment with antibiotics has become the preferred therapy among women regardless of variation of illness conceptions or severity of symptoms. The study will collect data from women of reproductive age using in-depth interviews, systematic elicitation techniques and open ended questions from a relatively small set of women. Based on the knowledge gained a survey will be designed and administered to about 250 women selected through a multistage sampling method. From this sample a subsample of 15 women who report having experience with STD symptoms will be interviewed in-depth in order to examine the actual context of decision making. Pharmacists and other antibiotic drug vendors will also be interviewed. This research is important because powerful antibiotic medications are commonly sold without prescription or other expert medical control all over the developing world, leading to the development of drug-resistant strains of disease. The new knowledge from this project about how and why people self-medicate will be valuable to health planners and decision makers in designing programs to address health needs while minimizing inappropriate use of antibiotic medicinal drugs.