OBJECTIVES : Pharmacies are often the first point of a patient’s contact with the healthcare system. The pharmacist must be a source of objective information about ABR and provide qualified advice on prescription and over-the-counter medications.

METHODS : The survey was conducted among pharmacy employees from May 1, 2019, to February 11, 2020, in Ukraine. The questionnaire consisted of closed and open questions, multiple-choice, and comparison questions.

RESULTS : The survey showed high self-esteem of knowledge regarding antibiotics among respondents, but their answers to open questions indicate a lack of knowledge. Most pharmacists are ready to recommend antibacterial drugs for colds and SARS, whooping cough, sore throat with fever, diarrhea. 69% of respondents believe that a doctor should prescribe antibacterial drugs, but at the same time, 74% of respondents do not always or never ask for a doctor’s prescription for antibiotics.

Analyzing the answers, we can see that pharmacists have an internal contradiction. 69% of respondents are dissatisfied with the current practice in our country regarding antibiotics’ issuance without a doctor’s prescription. Still, at the same time, they release them without a doctor’s prescription at their workplace.

CONCLUSIONS : Most pharmacy employees appreciate their knowledge of antimicrobial drugs’ pharmacological properties very high. But they have a much lower level of knowledge in practice, which we can see in survey answers. It is possible to explain the following results by the Dunning-Krueger effect: less competent people overestimate their knowledge and abilities. Therefore, pharmacists should also be reminded of the possibility of prescribing over-the-counter medicines to help patients with SARS.