International Journal of Traditional System of Medicine

AN EVALUATION OF HOSPITAL PHARMACISTS' AND DOCTORS' KNOWLEDGE OF HERBAL MEDICINE

Manasa N*, Nazia Begum, Akila CR, Nikitha D, Pallavi A

manasanakirtha@gmail.com

Physician, Pharmacist, Herbal medication

As patients are admitted to hospitals, the use of herbal medicines has been increasing and they are often combined with medications from other classes of medicine. The use of herbal medications by patients should be counseled more by pharmacists, according to earlier studies. To evaluate pharmacists' and physicians' perceptions of herbal products, phytopharmaceuticals, and dietary supplements: knowledge base, use, acceptability, attitudes, and beliefs. Physicians and pharmacists were assessed on their knowledge of pharmacology from a questionnaire consisting of 20 items, including 8 questions about herbal medicine. With Fisher's exact tests, variables such as age, sex, year post-graduate, years of experience, and specialty area were evaluated on the scores. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Fifty-five percent of pharmacists believe their training is inadequate, while four out of ten physicians seem to believe they are not safe, and seventeen percent think they are not effective. Despite patient reports of adverse reactions, pharmacovigilance centers were not significantly used. Pharmaceuticals (69.3 percent) and physicians (27.6 percent) were believed to interact with other drugs by pharmacists and physicians, respectively. Pharmacists' perceptions of interaction possibilities were significantly affected by their year of graduation. A significant effect of cadre and years of practice was found on how physicians and pharmacists scored on the HP/PP/DS questions. Medical schools do not adequately prepare physicians on the pharmacology of herbal medicines and potential interactions. Including pharmacology of herbal medications in medical degree curricula and improving pharmacy curriculum need to be urgently addressed