Knowledge, attitude, and practice of generic medicines among physicians at multispecialty hospital: An observational study

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, brand-name drugs are becoming an out-of-pocket expense which comprises 80% of total health-care expenditures. However, generic drugs are less expensive than brand-name drugs with the same therapeutic effect, but many doctors hold negative views of generics and resist prescribing. This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of doctors toward generic medicines. METHODS: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted in a multispecialty private hospital. The study participants were doctors who were practising in a hospital during the study period (January 2017 to July 2017). The questionnaire comprises 35 questions related to demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice evaluation of generic medicines. Descriptive statistics was applied to represent participant characteristics and response rates. RESULTS: A total of 86 questionnaires were distributed to the doctors and the response rate was 37%. The majority of doctors who participated in this survey perceived that generic medicine is effective, safe, and has same active component, dose, and bioequivalent as the brand medicines. Majority of the doctors (72%) believe that generic drugs were manufactured by poor techniques. However, more than three-quarter of doctors (78%) routinely prescribed generic drugs. CONCLUSION: Most of the doctors had an honest angle about the efficacy and safety of generic medicine. However, a high proportion of physicians believe that the generic drugs are of poorer quality. To have a better understanding of the generic drug, the doctor must be well informed about the generics products during their academic career that will significantly impact health-care budgets.