A study of prescription pattern of neutraceuticals, knowledge of the patients and cost in a tertiary care hospital

Introduction: Neutraceuticals are increasingly becoming a part of diet in a health-conscious society. People have changed their outlook towards neutraceuticals because of varying lifestyle diseases and they see the need to improve their physical and mental health. Aim: To study the prescription pattern by doctors, knowledge of patients, cost for patients and patient satisfaction regarding neutraceuticals. Materials and Methods: Total of 120 patients were included in the study after obtaining written informed consent. The patients were interviewed and the prescriptions and bills were scrutinized. The data was gathered based on a structured pretested questionnaire comprising of socio-demographic variables, their knowledge of neutraceuticals and history of regular usage, reason for their use, total cost for a month on neutraceuticals alone. The data was analysed using tests of proportions and percentages. Results: Vitamins were prescribed maximum in Internal Medicine (51%), Orthopaedics (43%) and Surgery (37%). Minerals were prescribed maximum in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (30%). 66% of the patients were aware about neutraceuticals. The awareness was maximum in medicine department (70%) and least in surgery department (63.3%). The study showed that the average amount that the patients spent was Rs 357.45 per month on neutraceuticals alone, maximum was Rs 557 in orthopaedics and minimum was Rs 219 in medicine respectively. A 61.6% of the patients expressed their satisfaction after taking the neutraceuticals. However, 12.45% of the patients were dissatisfied even after taking the neutraceuticals. Conclusion: Neutraceuticals are being increasingly perceived as beneficial to health and are being continuously used in the treatment of various diseases. Therefore, it is imperative that a doctor educates the public and creates an awareness of the required amount of neutraceuticals that can be safely used. The future of neutraceuticals is bright and can transform healthcare in a developing country like India which utilizes a large number of natural compounds.