IMPACT OF REAL TIME INTERVENTION OF PHARMACOECONOMICS OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS ON MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Kamlesh Garg*, Veena Verma, C. D. Tripathi, Surinder Kumar, Neeraj Kumar and Priyanka

ABSTRACT

Pharmacoeconomics is emerging field in medical education and therapeutics, but its inclusion in the medical curriculum is still lacking. The sensitisation of medical students during 2nd M.B.B.S will inculcate the habits of prescribing medicines on pharmacoeconomics principles so that patient and society can be benefitted. This project was planned to encourage students use of generic and rational drugs. Student’s performance on Pharmacoeconomics was assessed by pre and post intervention questionnaire. Intervention was in the form of Lectures on Pharmacoeconomics and calculation of difference of costs of generic and branded version of the same antihypertensive drug prescribed in the outpatient department (OPD). The intervention was found to be highly effective when pre and post intervention results were compared and difference was found to be statistically significant in area of Awareness, Knowledge and Methods of application of Pharmacoeconomics. At the same time, after teaching cost minimisation analysis to students, it was also concluded that cost of antihypertensive can be reduced by 35.70% if all the generic drugs are prescribed in place of branded drugs. Thus, Pharmacoecomics can be introduced in 2nd year medical curriculum so that the future prescribers can deliver cost effective health care.

Keywords: Pharmacoeconomics, Generic drugs, Branded drugs, Cost-minimisation analysis.