Abstract

PRESCRIBING BEHAVIOR OF PHYSICIANS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Viqas Shafi*

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and the factors which influence physician prescribing decisions and practice in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A questionnaire was developed specifically for the purpose of the study. This was then distributed to a sample of 100 physicians in Karachi, Pakistan. Results: Clinical effectiveness is the most important factor, reaching 81.81%; with regard to the cost of drugs to patients 59.09% of physicians take it into consideration when prescribing. Medical textbooks and medical journals are preferred by 72.72% and 50.00% of doctors respectively, to guide and justify their prescription choices. Regarding perceptions of new drug effectiveness, only 50.00% of Karachi physicians believe that they are more effective. Adverse Drug Reactions appear to be a major cause of prescription choice modification, as more than 77.26% of doctors declare that they change their prescription patterns in cases of Adverse Drug Reactions. Conclusion: The present study highlights the attitudes and the factors influencing physician prescribing behavior in Karachi, Pakistan. These insights will help policy makers in Pakistan & South Asia to develop measures which could be used to achieve greater clinical effectiveness and economic efficiency from drug prescribing. These insights will also help marketers in developing better and effective pharmaceutical marketing strategies

Keywords: prescribing, physician behavior, prescribing pattern, prescribing habits, karachi pakistan, pharma marketing