Characteristics and Attitudes of Physicians Associated with the Prescribing of Chloramphenicol

Abstract

Three of authors are with Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Becker is assistant professor in departments of pediatrics, behavioral sciences, and social relations. Dr. Stolley is associate professor, and Mrs. Sloane is research assistant in department of medical care and hospitals. Dr. Lasagna is professor and chairman, department of pharmacology and toxicology, University of Rochester. Dr. McEvilla is professor, department of pharmaceutical economics, University of Pittsburgh. This study was supported by Public Health Service in following manner: Contract No. HSM 110 69 234 and by grants 8 RO] HSOOIIO, 8 TO] HSOOO12 and 5 R18 HS00237-02 from National Center for Health Services Research and Development and by grant 5 D04 AH 00076 from National Institutes of Health. Tearsheet requests to Dr. Marshall H. Becker, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 601 N. Broadway, Baltimore, Md. 21205. DRUG THERAPY is a critical component in health professional's armamentarium and an undisputed contributor to man's well-being in prevention, control, and treatment of disease. Unfortunately, therapy also provides risk of inappropriate prescribing, dispensing, administration, and ingestion of drugs, as well as of toxic effects from medications prescribed correctly or incorrectly. These facts comprise a public health problem of increasing concern to general public and to health professions. In particular, problems resulting from what Brodie (1) has termed the apparent irresponsible prescribing habits of many physicians must be examined as an important part of evaluation of quality of medical practice (2). Perhaps least serious problem is errors in prescribing which result in consumption of drugs merely ineffective in ameliorating conditions for which they are used. Brodie (la) has estimated such drug waste at about 25 percent of all therapy, costing between $1 billion and $2 billion annually. Data on adverse reactions, however, clearly depict more harmful