Assessment of knowledge on pharmacotherapeutics among undergraduate medical students in a South Indian medical college

Abstract

Background: Pharmacotherapeutics knowledge is important for rational drug therapy. Assessment of knowledge on emergency and non-emergency medical conditions in medical students will be helpful to develop a methodological approach in building knowledge on patient care and in improving quality of medical education.Methods: It was a questionnaire based cross- sectional study conducted among undergraduate medical students in MIMS college after taking Institutional ethical committee permission. The students of final MBBS part-I and final MBBS part-II and house surgeons were given semi-structured questionnaires. It constitutes questions on awareness of pharmacotherapeutics of non-emergency (20) and emergency (8) medical conditions.Results: Received a total of 284 responses, of them 43.32%, 39.43% and 17.25% are from final MBBS part-I, final MBBS part-II and house surgeons respectively. 48.1% students agreed that undergraduate training sufficient to confidently give a safe prescription to the patient. The overall knowledge of the students in pharmacotherapeutics relating to certain non-emergency conditions is found to be 64.89% and relating to emergency conditions, it is 62.98%.Conclusions: Knowledge on emergency and non-emergency PT is moderate. Appropriate training programs are needed to improve this situation. Regular evaluative measures also help to overcome the present situation.

Cross sectional observational study to assess the knowledge of drugs utilized in emergency medical conditions amongst medical interns and residents in tertiary care teaching hospital

“…14 A similar study was conducted by Palacherla et al 79% of the medical students were known to the first-line management of status asthmatics. 15 Febrile convulsion is the most common type of neurological disorder in the paediatric age group, IV lorazepam or diazepam is very efficient in terminating the seizures. 16 This was known to 67.6% of interns and 85.8% of residents.…”

“…18 According to the study done by Palacherla et al 52.6% of medical undergraduates were aware of PTs for OP poisoning. 15 The definitive treatment for the bite by a venomous snake is antivenom therapy. 20 ASV should not be given subcutaneously at the local site of injury, it was known to only 43.2% of interns and 58.2% of residents.…”