{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T20:36:17Z","timestamp":1777926977956,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2004,5,1]],"date-time":"2004-05-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1083369600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int J STD AIDS"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>STDs are a significant public health problem in Brazil. A primary control strategy is the immediate treatment of symptomatic individuals. When services are unavailable, STD patients seek care in alternative settings. Probably the most frequently used settings are commercial pharmacies, where pharmacy clerks provide treatment, although Brazilian law prohibits selling antibiotics without prescription. Our objective was to evaluate prescribing practices by pharmacy clerks for STDs. We performed a cross-sectional study. Trained medical students visited 62 pharmacies in the city of Porto Alegre during March 2002. These were randomly chosen from a list of 863 registered pharmacies. The students presented to the pharmacy complaining of dysuria and urethral discharge. After obtaining a prescription, or not, they asked for additional instructions to be followed. Immediately after leaving the premises, the instructions were anonymously recorded. Of the 62 pharmacies visited, a clerk in 56 (90.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 80.1%\u201396.4%) provided a prescription. Most frequently prescribed drugs were ampicillin with probenecide (29\/51.8%) and rosoxacin (11\/19.6%). Ministry of Health-recommended treatment was not suggested by any of the clerks. Forty-six additional recommendations were given. The use of condoms was the most frequent additional advice (42\/46). Prescribing by pharmacy clerks is very prevalent in Porto Alegre. This may represent a lost opportunity for more comprehensive prevention effort (counselling, partner management, and diagnosing other STDs). Additionally, the most frequently prescribed drugs are not recommended by international or national health authorities for treatment of STDs, and none of these drugs covers chlamydia. We conclude that pharmacy clerks are a potentially important source of STD treatment and control but that their practices are in need of vast improvement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/095646240401500512","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,11]],"date-time":"2017-01-11T14:54:09Z","timestamp":1484146449000},"page":"333-336","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Pharmacy Clerks' Prescribing Practices for STD Patients in Porto Alegre, Brazil: Missed Opportunities for Improving STD Control"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Mauro Cunha","family":"Ramos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Materno-Infantil Presidente Vargas"},{"name":"Instituto Porto Alegre da Rede Metodista de Educa\u00e7\u00e3o"},{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"},{"name":"Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rodrigo D Correa","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ricardo O","family":"Gobbato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Felipe Civeira","family":"da Rocha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"suffix":"Jnr","given":"Giusepe","family":"de Lucca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jacques","family":"Vissoky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Estudos de AIDS\/DST do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tania","family":"Cestari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Dermatologia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Absalom","family":"Filgueiras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Dermatologia do Hospital de Cl\u00ednicas de Porto Alegre da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2004,5,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-095646240401500512","volume-title":"Estimativas de preval\u00eancia de infec\u00e7\u00f5es de transmin\u00e1s sexual na popula\u00e7\u00e3o brasiliera sexualmente ativa","author":"Moherdaui F","year":"2001"},{"key":"bibr2-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(97)02190-9"},{"key":"bibr3-095646240401500512","volume-title":"Estimativa da Popula\u00e7\u00e3o Brasileira. Brazilian Population Estimative","author":"IBGE, I.B.d.G.e.E.-\u00ff.","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr4-095646240401500512","first-page":"47","volume":"13","author":"Ramos M","year":"2002","journal-title":"Int J STD AIDS"},{"key":"bibr5-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(00)02336-9"},{"key":"bibr6-095646240401500512","volume-title":"Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Drugs prescription by pharmacy clerks in Porto Alegre, Brazil. What is the picture?","author":"Correa C","year":"1992"},{"key":"bibr7-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1590\/S0104-11691999000100003"},{"key":"bibr8-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007435-200009000-00007"},{"key":"bibr9-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007435-199904001-00010"},{"key":"bibr10-095646240401500512","first-page":"40","volume":"61","author":"Rienzo A","year":"1991","journal-title":"J Bras Med"},{"key":"bibr11-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1258\/0956462011923471"},{"key":"bibr12-095646240401500512","first-page":"15","volume":"24","author":"Gir E","year":"1990","journal-title":"Medicina (Ribeir\u00e3o Preio)"},{"key":"bibr13-095646240401500512","first-page":"220","volume":"72","author":"Crabbe F","year":"1996","journal-title":"Genitourin Med"},{"key":"bibr14-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09540129650125993"},{"key":"bibr15-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00007435-199711000-00008"},{"key":"bibr16-095646240401500512","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sti.76.4.299"},{"key":"bibr17-095646240401500512","first-page":"5","volume":"12","author":"Ajalla M","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Bras DST"},{"key":"bibr18-095646240401500512","unstructured":"Voeten H, O'Hara H, Kusimba J, Health seeking behavior for STDs in Nairobi, Kenya.\n                      XIV International AIDS Conference.\n                      Barcelona, 2002"},{"key":"bibr19-095646240401500512","unstructured":"Brazilian-Ministry-of-Health, Projeto de envolvimento das farm\u00e1cias no programa de controle das DST. [Project for involvement of pharmacies in STD control program. 1996, Bras\u00edlia: National STD\/AIDS Coordination\u2014Brazilian Ministry of Health]. 15"},{"key":"bibr20-095646240401500512","volume-title":"STD and Aids prevention training for commercials pharmacies workers in the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil","author":"Marques D","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr21-095646240401500512","volume-title":"Syndromic treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STI): A Western Cape community pharmacist study","author":"Ward K","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr22-095646240401500512","volume-title":"International AIDS Conference","author":"Ward K","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr23-095646240401500512","volume-title":"Recovering STD treatment cost from workers in the informal sex sector: The Philippines experience","author":"Castro J","year":"2002"}],"container-title":["International Journal of STD &amp; AIDS"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/095646240401500512","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/095646240401500512","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T22:31:25Z","timestamp":1777674685000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/095646240401500512"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/095646240401500512"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/095646240401500512","relation":{},"ISSN":["0956-4624","1758-1052"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0956-4624","type":"print"},{"value":"1758-1052","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]}}}