Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors: An Exploration of Awareness and Practice of Health Care Professionals of Tharparkar District

Background Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly prescribed drugs and their inadequate prescription can have adverse outcomes. Multiple factors are responsible for inappropriate use of PPIs including self-medication, less knowledge about PPIs in medical staff, and consumer-oriented advertising. Objective To assess the knowledge and practices about PPI use among Physicians in Tharparkar District of Sindh province, Pakistan. Methods This is a cross Sectional study that was done in the rural hospitals (Basic Health Unit, Rural Health Centre, Talukka, and District Hospital) in Tharparkar District Sindh. The study took place for 6 months from October 13, 2019, to April 12, 2020. All PMC licensed Physicians working in district Tharparkar for at least 6 months were consecutively enrolled. Knowledge questions comprised of questions about PPI and their indication and side effects while practice questions such as indication, route, and duration of action were asked. All participants were classified as having adequate knowledge and adequate practice based on the correct answer to each question. The study included PMC-licensed physicians with one-year internship/ house job experience and Physicians who had worked at district Tharparkar in a rural setting for at least 6 months. Physicians who did not give consent were excluded from the study. Results Of 102 practitioners, the mean age of the participants was 39.57 ±9.14 years. The majority of the practitioners were males (n=82, 80.4%). Most of the practitioners (n=66, 65%) were working in district hospitals, 21 (19.6%) in rural health centers, and 15 (14.7%) in basic health units. Adequate knowledge was observed in 34 (33.3%) while adequate practice in 33 (32.4%) participants. Conclusion The knowledge and practices about Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) use were found to be unsatisfactory among Physicians working at Tharparkar.