Prescribing knowledge in the light of undergraduate clinical pharmacology and therapeutics teaching in India: views of first-year postgraduate students

Figures & data

Table 1 Knowledge of undergraduate clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) teaching in first-year postgraduate students

Questions	Responses	%
Were you taught prescription writing in your undergraduate pharmacology?	Yes	88
	No	12
How would you rate your prescribing knowledge as at graduation?	Average	48
	Good	28
	Excellent	4
	Poor	14
	Very poor	4
Do you feel that your undergraduate training has prepared you to prescribe safely?	Yes	42
	No	58
Do you feel that your undergraduate training has prepared you to prescribe rationally?	Yes	38
	No	62
Have you had any specific problems with prescribing during your internship training?	Yes	42
	No	58
Retrospectively, do you think undergraduate	Yes	92
CPT teaching should be improved?	No	8

Table 2 Prescribing knowledge of first year postgraduate

Questions	Responses	%
Are you aware of theEssential Drugs List	Yes	66
If yes, do you prescribe drugs according to the Essential Drugs List?	Yes	50
Usually you prescribe by which name?	Generic	66
	Brand	34
Usually in children you calculate the doses according to the	Age	18
	Weight	82
Usually while prescribing, do you consider the cost of the drugs?	Yes	90
Have you been taught to consider the cost of the drugs?	Yes	78
Do you understand the term “pharmacoeconomics”?	Yes	62
Do you prescribe a newly promoted medicine?	Yes	26
	No	74
Do you prescribe supplemental vitamins and iron preparations?	Yes	70
	No	30
Do you prefer a fixed-dose analgesic combination or paracetamol?	Combination	48
	Paracetamol	52
Have you prescribed under parental influence even when not necessary?	Yes	22
	No	78
Do you routinely check information about drugs before prescribing?	Yes	62
	No	38
If the above is yes, which materials do you consult?	Product insert	4
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	Internet	20
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	Books/journal	26
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	Drug information provided by the medical representative	10
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	Drug information index, eg, CIMS, MIMS	40

Abbreviations: CIMS, current index of medical specialities; MIMS, Monthly Index of Medical Specialities.