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Prescribers’ knowledge of drug costs: a contemporary Irish study

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous research has suggested that prescribers’ knowledge of drug costs in Ireland is deficient. We aimed to update this finding by asking prescribers to estimate drug costs for low-and high-cost drugs, as well as examining their familiarity with a national prescribing initiative.

Methods

We conducted a survey of five groups of prescribers and one group of medical students asking them to estimate the drug costs. Drugs recommended by the Preferred Drugs Initiative in Ireland were included, as were high-cost monoclonal antibody products and nutrition supplements. A 25% margin of error was allowed for a correct estimate. Comparisons were performed across participant groups and between drugs. A number of qualitative questions were included to provide context.

Results

The survey received 122 responses. General practitioners (GPs) had the most accurate estimates, with medical students having the least. The percentage with a correct estimate was lower for higher cost drugs across all participant groups. GPs were also most certain about the estimates and most familiar with the Preferred Drug Initiative, while the students rated worst for both these questions. The cost of most drugs was overestimated. Most prescribers were uncertain about their estimates, which was reflected by the large variation in estimates. Eighty-three percent of prescribers would consider a trade-off of drug efficacy for affordability at least sometimes.

Conclusions

Prescribers’ knowledge of drug costs in Ireland remains poor and may negatively affect patient outcomes and national drug budgets. A national program provides recommendations to improve cost-effective prescribing; however, further alterations to national prescribing practices and policies are required to raise awareness of drug costs and these recommendations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Trinity College, St James Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland

    Cormac Kennedy, Amelia Smith & Michael Barry

  2. School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Eoin O’Brien & Jamie Rice

Authors
  1. Cormac Kennedy
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  2. Amelia Smith
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  3. Eoin O’Brien
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  4. Jamie Rice
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  5. Michael Barry
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cormac Kennedy.

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Conflict of interest

Cormac Kennedy, Amelia Smith, Eoin O’Brien, Jamie Rice, and Michael Barry declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Author contributions

Concept and Design: CK, EOB, JR; Acquisition of Data: CK, EOB, JR; Analysis and interpretation of data: CK, AS; Drafting of the manuscript: CK, AS, EOB, JR, MB; Critical revision of the paper for important intellectual content: AS, MB; Statistical analysis: CK, AS; Provision of study materials or patients: Not applicable. Obtaining funding: Not applicable. Administrative, technical, or logistical support: AS; Supervision: MB.

Funding

No funding was requested or received for this study.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the School of Medicine Ethics Committee, TCD.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Kennedy, C., Smith, A., O’Brien, E. et al. Prescribers’ knowledge of drug costs: a contemporary Irish study. Drugs Ther Perspect 37, 272–281 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-021-00830-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-021-00830-5

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