ORIGINAL ARTICLE Diagnosis and treatment of presumed STIs at Mexican pharmacies: survey results from a random sample of

Objectives: People in developing countries often seek medical advice for common ailments from phar-macies. As one example, pharmacists routinely diagnose and treat symptomatic sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We aimed to assess the quality of advice provided in Mexico City pharmacies by pre-senting hypothetical STI related syndromes and recording pharmacy attendants ’ suggested diagnoses and treatments. Methods: We interviewed the first available attendant in each of a 5 % random sample of Mexico City’s pharmacies. We inquired about the training, age, and experience of the attendant and about the typical number of clients coming for treatment of suspected STIs. After considering three hypotheti-cal case studies, attendants recommended diagnoses, treatments, and, sometimes, physician follow up. Results: Most Mexico City “pharmacists ” are actually clerks, with trained pharmacists rarely available on the premises. The average pharmacy attendant was 32 years old, with a median of 5 years ’ experi-ence at that pharmacy, but very limited (if any) training. 62 % reported seeing 10 or more clients with genital or vaginal infections per month. Depending on the case study, attendants provided appropriate diagnoses in 0–12 % of cases, recommended appropriate treatments in 12–16 % of cases, and suggested physician follow up for 26–67 % of cases