Abstract
Introduction: Primary care physicians need to have access to up-to-date knowledge in various fields of medicine and high-quality information sources, but little is known about the use and credibility of sources of information on medicinal products among Polish doctors. The main goal of this study was to analyze the sources of information on medicinal products among primary care physicians in Poland. Methods: A survey was conducted among 316 primary care physicians in Poland. The following information was collected: demographic data of participants, type and frequency of using data sources on medicinal products, barriers to access credible information, assessment of the credibility of the sources used, impact of a given source and other factors on prescription decisions. Results: The most frequently mentioned sources of information were medical representatives (79%), medical journals (78%) and congresses, conventions, conferences, and training (76%). The greatest difficulty in finding the latest information about medicinal products was the lack of time. The surveyed doctors considered clinical guidelines to be the most credible source of information, and this source also had the greatest impact on the choice of prescribed medicinal products. Conclusion: The study showed that clinicians consider clinical guidelines as the most credible source of information with the greatest impact on prescribing medicinal products. However, it is not the source most often mentioned by doctors for obtaining knowledge about medicinal products. There is a need to develop strategies and tools to provide physicians with credible sources of information.
Highlights
Primary care physicians need to have access to up-to-date knowledge in various fields of medicine and high-quality information sources, but little is known about the use and credibility of sources of information on medicinal products among Polish doctors
We found that only 22% of respondents noticed the lack of information about medicinal products in their practice
An analysis of the practices of obtaining information showed that Norwegian physicians prefer congresses and courses (Nylenna and Aasland, 2000), while Canadian doctors opt for medical journals as the most frequently used sources of drug information (SoI) (Kosteniuk et al, 2013)
Summary
Primary care physicians need to have access to up-to-date knowledge in various fields of medicine and high-quality information sources, but little is known about the use and credibility of sources of information on medicinal products among Polish doctors. Following up with new evidence and implementing it in the daily care of patients ensures high-quality healthcare, but it constitutes a significant challenge for all areas of medicine. It is especially important for primary care physicians who require a large amount of up-to-date knowledge in all areas of medicine (Nylenna and Aasland, 2000)
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