An-Najah Staff

A survey of random sample of physicians and pharmacists in north Palestine was carried out to ascertain the factors that influence their decisions when selecting a drug for a patient. Of the four hundred (400) questionnaire distributed, two hundred and fourteen (214) were filled correctly and returned giving a response rate of approximately 56%. The ten factors which had the greatest influence on drug selection were as follows in ranking order: active ingredients, evidence of product efficacy, patient characteristics, presence of side effects for the drug, successful self-use of product, product abuse potential, confidence in manufacturer, availability of product in community pharmacies, cost of drug for the patient and range of dosage forms available for the product. Commercial factors like profitability, number of medical samples and personal relations with manufacturers have slight influence on the drug selection by physicians and pharmacists. The results of this short communication suggest that selection of drugs for therapy is based on clinical and patient factors and whilst commercial factors may be involved they do not compromise the quality of therapeutic recommendations.