For the last several decades, ensuring the availability of an adequate quantity and quality of pharmaceuticals has been one of the objectives of improving health care in developing countries. Now, with the proliferation of greater quantities and varieties of pharmaceuticals in developing countries, promoting their appropriate use has become a priority. To address this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) established indicators to systematically describe drug use in health facilities. Studies using these indicators have explored educational, supervisory and regulatory measures to encourage appropriate drug use. However, which of these measures or combination of measures is most effective has yet to be established.

In Cameroon, the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC), a missionary provider of health care, employs a variety of educational, supervisory and regulatory strategies to promote appropriate drug use in its 17 health facilities. There is, however, considerable variation between facilities in the strategies employed. Not all facilities receive the same type or the same degree of training or supervision. This allowed the researchers to identify which of the strategies most directly correlated with prescribing and dispensing behaviour.