Identification, mapping, and self-reported practice patterns of village doctors in Sitakunda subdistrict, Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Informally trained health care providers, such as village doctors in Bangladesh, are crucial in providing health care services to the rural poor in low- and middle-income countries. Despite being one of the primary vendors of antibiotics in rural Bangladesh, village doctors often have limited knowledge about appropriate antibiotic use, leading to varied and potentially inappropriate dispensing and treatment practices. In this study, we aimed to identify, map, and survey village doctors in the Sitakunda subdistrict of Bangladesh to understand their distribution, practice characteristics, clinical behaviours, access to technologies, and use of these technologies for clinical decision-making.

Methods

Using a 'snowball' sampling method, we identified and mapped 411 vi

SUBMITTER: Hanson OR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11393791 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature