Do general practitioners know what they are prescribing?

Across-sectional study was conducted to explore general practitioners' [GPs] knowledge regarding the major therapeutic use and adverse effects of drug[s] they prescribe. Three drugs namely tablet Montelukast Sodium, tablet Somatriptan and inhaler Fluticasone Propionate were selected from the list of drugs approved by the Ministry of Health in Pakistan. GPs who had prescribed at least one of the three were inquired about the cost, therapeutic use and one common adverse effect. For each question, one correct option and three distracting options were given. Two hundred and ninety four responses of 131 GPs were included in the final analysis. The correct options for therapeutic use and adverse effect were identified by 61.2% [n = 180] and 40.8% [n = 120] respectively. A statistically significant [p < 0.01] deficit of knowledge regarding adverse effects was observed for those GPs who identified pharmaceutical advertisements as their primary source of information for new drugs and those who were less experienced