Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Majority of the countries are facing the problem of high expenditure for healthcare services. The affordability of the rising cost of the medicines is a global challenge for both the patients and the government. In a period of quickly rising health care costs, generic medications give a more affordable contrasting option to branded prescriptions. Aim of the study: To evaluate knowledge, attitudes, perceptions among medical students and intern doctors on generic medication and to document the association of understanding and perception with age, sex and work experience in hospital. Materials and methods: The present study was non-interventional, cross sectional, observational questionnaire based study conducted in the Department of Pharmacology of D.Y Patil Medical College and Hospital, Kolhapur over a period of four months from October 2016 to January 2017. A total of 400 students from 2nd, 3rd and final year MBBS (100 students from each year) and 100 interns in this study were included. A questionnaire was used as the study tool, developed using information adapted from literature reviews for evaluation. Results: 74.1% students agreed that generic medicines are interchangeable with Branded medicines; 58% students agreed that a generic medicine must be in same dosage form as branded medicine; 66.3% students agreed that generic medicines are therapeutically equivalent to Branded medicines; 42.8% students agreed that generic medicines are manufactured after the Patent expiry of originator/innovator; and only 19.6% agreed that generics produce more side effects than branded medicines. On comparison, the results were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: It was found that the respondents’ overall knowledge about generic medicines was deficient. Although all students & interns were aware about generic medication but their perception toward generic medicines was negative. This information about generic medicines may strengthen future knowledge, attitudes and perceptions.
Keywords: Branded medicine, Generic medicine, Pharmacy, Questionnaire
Corresponding author: Dr. Avik Deb, PG student, Dept of Pharmacology, D.Y Patil Medical College, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
This article may be cited as: Deb A, Dhavalshankh AG, Burande MA, Patil SS, Tahashildar JC. Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Perception about Generic Medicines among Medical Students and Interns in a Tertiary Care Hospital. J Adv Med Dent Scie Res 2017;5(11):8-12.