Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices of generic drugs and their potential nocebo effects among second year medical students in a rural tertiary care teaching hospital: a cross-sectional study

Diana L. Griglani; Nirav N. Patel; Amol L. Bhave; Rahul P. Bhavasar

doi:10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20243040

Authors

Diana L. Griglani Department of Pharmacology, Parul Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9860-8499
Nirav N. Patel Department of Pharmacology, GMERS Medical College, Rajpipla, Gujarat, India
Amol L. Bhave Department of Pharmacology, Medical College Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Rahul P. Bhavasar Department of Pharmacology, Parul Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20243040

Keywords:

Generic drugs, Nocebo effect, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices

Abstract

Background: As drugs contribute significantly to healthcare costs, reduction in their cost by using generics offers a significant advantage so evaluation was done of knowledge, attitude, and practices of generic drugs and their potential nocebo effects among second year medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital.

Methods: A prospective, observational, and questionnaire-based study was conducted after approval by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Pretested and validated questionnaire consisting of 26 questions about generic drugs was filled by 92 participants. The filled questionnaires were collected and analyzed on Microsoft Excel sheet.

Results: Majority (90.2%) students had heard about generic drugs, however, only 18.5% students thought there was a nocebo effect associated with the use of generic drugs. Majority of the study population had a positive attitude towards use of generic drugs and believed them to be equally efficacious as branded drugs in addition to not having more side effects than branded drugs, though their current practices did not reflect this knowledge and attitude. 63% also said that following this study, they were likely to prescribe or consume generics as future doctors and patients.

Conclusions: The participants had sufficient knowledge and positive attitude towards use of generic drugs. Knowledge regarding the possible nocebo effects of generic drugs was lacking.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Lira CAB de, Oliveira JNS, Andrade M dos S, Vancini-Campanharo CR, Vancini RL. Knowledge, perceptions and use of generic drugs: a cross sectional study. Einstein (São Paulo). 2014;12(3):267-73.

Gupta R, Malhotra A, Malhotra P. A study on assessment of awareness on generic drugs among doctors in a tertiary care teaching hospital in north India. Int J Res Med Sci. 2018;6:1362-7.

Charan J, Saxena D, Chaudhri M, Dutta S, Kaur RJ, Bhardwaj P. Opinion of primary care physicians regarding prescription of generic drugs: A Cross-sectional study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021;10:1390-8.

Mathew P. Generic drugs: Review and experiences from South India. J Family Med Prim Care. 2015;4:319-23.

Qian J, Mishuk AU, Hansen RA. Does public perception bias lead to more frequent reporting of adverse events: branded vs generic drugs. Exp Opin Drug Safety. 2018;17(8):753-6.

Lakshmi SS, Sukumaran A, Madan D. Knowledge regarding generic and branded medicine, attitude, and practice regarding their uses among medical and dental practitioners in South India. Am J Biopharm Pharm Sci. 2023;3:3.

Dudhia SH, Parmar KA, Mehta MD. Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Prescribing Generic Medicines by Resident Doctors at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital. Asian J Pharm Res Health Care. 2023;15(3):223-6.

Kumar G, Garg A, Dhillon JK, Eranhikkal A, Smitha M. Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding generic drugs and branded drugs: a cross sectional study. Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol. 2019;8:2069-73.

Badwaik RT, Chopade SS, Mahajan HM, Honrao R. Prescribers Views on Generic Medicines: A Study on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice. J Cont Med A Dent. 2015;3(2):27-32.