ABSTRACT
Background:
Fixed-
dose combinations (FDCs) were brought into the market with the
intent of providing benefits primarily to
patients and
physicians. Nevertheless, despite their multiple advantages, they have their own set of drawbacks, especially regarding irrational FDCs. If
physicians continue to prescribe them, prohibiting their
sale would become all the more challenging. This
cross-sectional survey study was planned to comprehend the level of
knowledge,
attitude and practice of
physicians regarding such FDCs at a
tertiary care teaching institute of western Uttar Pradesh,
India.
Methodology:
A pre-validated
questionnaire was communicated electronically to all the attending
physicians. For
data analysis, descriptive
statistics were applied and a χ2 test was performed for inter-group comparison.
Results:
Amongst the 108
respondents, participation was almost comparable from both medical and surgical branches, with most participants being junior residents (58%). Even with
sound knowledge of FDCs, only 46.30% of them were aware of banned FDCs. Similarly, only 6.48% could correctly identify the disadvantages associated with the use of FDCs, and 33.18% could correctly recognize irrational FDCs. This finding was consistently reflected in their
attitude and practice and only 15.74% of
respondents cross-referenced FDCs with the available
literature. Furthermore, despite 88.89% of
respondents checking for rationality of FDCs before prescribing them, a compendium of irrational FDCs is routinely prescribed.
Conclusion:
To amend these shortcomings in prescribing of irrational FDCs, some recommendations are proposed by the authors herein.
