Fixed dose combinations: Understanding of resident doctors at a tertiary care teaching hospital Shruthi K.V.1,*, Bandare Basavaraj2, Satyanarayana V.3, Prakash Sanjana1 1Department of Pharmacology, Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore-04, Karnataka 2Department of Pharmacology, Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore-04, Karnataka 3Department of Pharmacology, Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore-04, Karnataka *Corresponding Author E-mail: shruthi.kv9@gmail.com
Online published on 22 September, 2017. Abstract Background Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) improve patient compliance and decrease pill burden. Irrational prescribing of FDCs is a major health concern. As resident doctors are primarily involved in patient management at tertiary care hospitals, knowledge about prescribing FDCs is of paramount importance. Objective To evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice, regarding use of FDCs by interns and postgraduates at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods The study was carried out among interns and postgraduate students working at Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, a tertiary care hospital. 200 resident doctors from various departments who gave informed consent, were enrolled. A prevalidated questionnaire regarding knowledge, attitude and prescribing practice of fixed dose combinations was used as a tool. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results 200 residents, 120 were postgraduate students and 80 were interns. The resident doctors were not aware about all of the advantages and disadvantages of FDCs. 28% of doctors were not aware of Essential Medicine List (EML). Only 62.9% resident doctors could name a single banned FDC in India. Common sources of information about FDCs were medical representatives, colleagues/peers,textbooks. 88%residents opined that FDCs should be allowed to be marketed and most commonly prescribed FDCs were of antimicrobial drugs, amongst which amoxicillin + clavulanic acid was the most frequent. Conclusion There is need to improve knowledge about rationality, EML and banned FDCs among resident doctors to promote the rational use of drugs. Top Keywords Fixed dose combinations, Resident doctors, Essential medicine list, Knowledge attitude and practice. Top |