{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T01:37:09Z","timestamp":1787017029844,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,19]],"date-time":"2024-06-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1718755200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":18,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"McGill University Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,3]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The rise of antimicrobial resistance represents a critical threat to global health, exacerbated by the excessive and inappropriate dispensing and use of antimicrobial drugs, notably antibiotics, which specifically target bacterial infections. The surge in antibiotic consumption globally is particularly concerning in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where informal healthcare providers (IPs) play a vital role in the healthcare landscape. Often the initial point of contact for healthcare-seeking individuals, IPs play a crucial role in delivering primary care services in these regions. Despite the prevalent dispensing of antibiotics by IPs in many LMICs, as highlighted by existing research, there remains a gap in the comprehensive synthesis of antibiotic dispensing practices and the influencing factors among IPs. Hence, this scoping review seeks to map and consolidate the literature regarding antibiotic dispensing and its drivers among IPs in LMICs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods and analysis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute guideline for scoping review. A comprehensive search across nine electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Global Health, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, AJOL and IMSEAR) will be performed, supplemented by manual searches of reference lists of eligible publications. The search strategy will impose no constraints on study design, methodology, publication date or language. The study selection process will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. The findings on antibiotic dispensing and its patterns will be synthesised and reported descriptively using tables, visuals and a narrative summary. Additionally, factors influencing antibiotic dispensing will be elucidated through both inductive and deductive content analysis methods.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Ethics and dissemination<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Ethical approval is not required for scoping reviews. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at relevant conferences.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-086164","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]],"date-time":"2024-06-20T04:19:00Z","timestamp":1718857140000},"page":"e086164","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Antibiotic dispensing practices among informal healthcare providers in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Meera","family":"Tandan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Practice, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland"},{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3333-1434","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Poshan","family":"Thapa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"},{"name":"International TB Center, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Buna","family":"Bhandari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sumanth","family":"Gandra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Diwash","family":"Timalsina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Swansea University, Swansea, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shweta","family":"Bohora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Swostika","family":"Thapaliya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anupama","family":"Bhusal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Department of Public Health, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Genevieve C","family":"Gore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Surbhi","family":"Sheokand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"International TB Center, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"},{"name":"Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prachi","family":"Shukla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Partners, Delhi, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chandrashekhar","family":"Joshi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Partners, Delhi, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nitin","family":"Mudgal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Partners, Delhi, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Madhukar","family":"Pai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"},{"name":"International TB Center, McGill University, Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giorgia","family":"Sulis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025120523441888000_14.6.e086164.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2010.00134","article-title":"A brief history of the antibiotic era: lessons learned and challenges for the future","volume":"1","author":"Aminov","year":"2010","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"2025120523441888000_14.6.e086164.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2019.10.008"},{"key":"2025120523441888000_14.6.e086164.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Salam MdA , Al-Amin MdY , Salam MT , et al . n.d. 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