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. 2022 Jan 6:12:801845.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.801845. eCollection 2021.

Sources of Information on Medicinal Products Among Physicians - A Survey Conducted Among Primary Care Physicians in Poland

Magdalena Zielińska  1 , Tomasz Hermanowski  1
Affiliations

Sources of Information on Medicinal Products Among Physicians - A Survey Conducted Among Primary Care Physicians in Poland

Magdalena Zielińska et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Primary care physicians need to have access to up-to-date knowledge in various fields of medicine and high-quality information sources, but little is known about the use and credibility of sources of information on medicinal products among Polish doctors. The main goal of this study was to analyze the sources of information on medicinal products among primary care physicians in Poland. Methods: A survey was conducted among 316 primary care physicians in Poland. The following information was collected: demographic data of participants, type and frequency of using data sources on medicinal products, barriers to access credible information, assessment of the credibility of the sources used, impact of a given source and other factors on prescription decisions. Results: The most frequently mentioned sources of information were medical representatives (79%), medical journals (78%) and congresses, conventions, conferences, and training (76%). The greatest difficulty in finding the latest information about medicinal products was the lack of time. The surveyed doctors considered clinical guidelines to be the most credible source of information, and this source also had the greatest impact on the choice of prescribed medicinal products. Conclusion: The study showed that clinicians consider clinical guidelines as the most credible source of information with the greatest impact on prescribing medicinal products. However, it is not the source most often mentioned by doctors for obtaining knowledge about medicinal products. There is a need to develop strategies and tools to provide physicians with credible sources of information.

Keywords: barriers; drug information sources; information-seeking behaviours; prescribing attitudes; primary care physicians.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Average assessment of the importance of individual difficulties.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Perceived credibility (average) of the sources of information on medicinal products as assessed by the surveyed doctors.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Average assessment of the influence of the information source on the choice of the prescribed medicinal products.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Correlation between the perceived credibility of a source of information about a medicinal product and the influence of the source on the choice of a prescribed medicinal product.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Relationship between the declaration of using a source of information about a medicinal product in the last 6 months and its perceived credibility (points).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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