Do doctors in primary attention and internal medicine know the cost of cardiovascular medicines?

Objective:

To determine existing differences in knowledge of most prescribed cardiovacular (CV) drug’s cost between doctors in Primary Attention (PA) and Internal Medicine in our reference hospital in Mallorca.

Methods and materials:

Field: Doctors in PA and Internal Medicine in Mallorca island (Spain)

Year: 2008.

Sample: sample by conglomerations, aleatory and representative of PA doctors in Mallorca (N = 236) and all the Internal Medicine Doctors in our reference hospital.

Information source: ad hoc survey, with personal data and professionals, and 14 items addressed to evaluate knowledge of most prescribed CV drug’s cost (as 2007 official ranking). The estimated price by the participants was compared with the official price in each drug, to check the possibility of over or infraestimation (that was fixed in >/< 20% from final price, respectively).

Results:

Low knowledge about CV drug’s cost was detected. About 20% of participants overestimated real cost, while about 25% infraestimate it. There are no large differences between the 14 medicines analized. There are important differences in the estimation error for all 14 CV drugs (more important in cheapest drugs). There are no significant differences in the estimation error degree between PA and Internal Medicine doctors (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

Knowledge of drug’s cost is an essential element for a rational use of themselves. In Mallorca’s PA important deficiencies exist in knowledge of CV drug’s cost, by both PA and Internal Medicine doctors, that should be overcome to achieve an efficient use of these drugs.