AWARENESS AMONG PHYSICIANS OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL REGARDING RATIONAL USE OF MEDICINE: A QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED STUDY

Abstract

Objectives: The current study was planned with the objectives of discovering awareness regarding the rational use of medicines (RUM) among the physicians, drug prescribing patterns, and verifying the quality of the prescriptions given to the patients. Methods: A pre-validated questionnaire was used for physicians and patients after the Institutional Ethics Committee’s permission and consenting the participants. Prescriptions of patients were photocopied. The study was conducted in dermatology, medicine, and general outpatient departments. The study duration was from June 2013 to April 2014, and a universal sampling was used. Thehe data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 70/105 physicians consented. The score for knowledge was 10.36±1.96 in this study. 73% were generic prescriptions. The score per physician for attitude and practice on the Likert scale was 67.47±5.75. Fifty-eight percent of physicians mentioned they prescribe on diagnosis, and first choice is preferred. 97% said fixed drug combinations are better for compliance. Of the 278, 385 patients consented. The average number of drugs prescribed per prescription was 3.545±1.45, and legible was 32.37%. Non-pharmacological therapy was mentioned in 11.87%, and 54% were complete in dose and duration. 40.64% of patients did not take the medications regularly, and 95.57% said the cost of medicines was the reason. 69% (120/174) purchased economical alternatives without informing the doctor. Conclusion: The awareness regarding RUM in physicians is low; the cost of medicines deters patients from regularly taking medicines.