Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practices towards the use of fixed dose combination of drugs among practicing doctors in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) improve patient compliance, decrease the chances of drug resistance and decrease pill burden. However, a major health concern is  irrational prescribing of FDCs. As practicing doctors are primarily involved in patient management at tertiary care  hospitals, knowledge about prescribing FDCs is of paramount importance. This study was aimed to evaluate knowledge,  attitude and practices towards the use of FDCs among  practicing doctors in a tertiary care hospital. The study was  carried out among the faculty and practicing doctors working at SMIMS, Kulasekharam in a tertiary care hospital. Out of fifty, thirty six practicing doctors gave their informed consent and were enrolled in the study. These practicing doctors belonged to the departments of  medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology,  surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, dermatology, cardiology and psychiatry. A prevalidated questionnaire regarding knowledge, attitude and prescribing practice of fixed dose combinations was filled up and data was analyzed. Though the lecturers were aware about the FDCs, they did not know those that were listed by the WHO (9). The physicians were aware of all of the   advantages and disadvantages of FDCs. On an average, only 9 of the lecturers had knowledge about the Essential Medicine List (EML). Common sources of information about FDCs used by the practicing doctors were medical representatives,  colleaguespeers and medical education programmes. The most commonly prescribed FDCs by practicing doctors were of  antimicrobial drugs, amongst which amoxicillin clavulanic acid was the most frequent. This study concluded that there is need to improve knowledge about rationality of FDCs, Essential  Medical List and banned FDCs among the practicing doctors to promote the rational use of drugs.