A study on knowledge and practice of dispensing drugs without prescription by pharmacists in Belagavi City

Background: The pharmacists were trained mainly to dispense medicines only over prescriptions. Despite guidelines, practice of dispensing medicines without prescription has been widely practiced worldwide. The problem and burden of drug resistance are increasing worldwide due to this practice. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and practice of pharmacists on drug dispensing practices without prescription in Belagavi City. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and April 2021 among 80 pharmacists in different areas of Belagavi city. Pharmacists were selected by the simple random technique. Data were collected using the structured questionnaire. The obtained data were tabulated, and the Chi-square test was used to determine the association between the nominal variables. Results: Pharmacists had a good knowledge about laws regarding practice of dispensing without prescription. The practice of dispensing nonover-the-counter drugs without prescription was found to be 32.5% in an average. Pharmacists' fear of losing customers was the primary reason for dispensing without prescription. A significant association was found between knowledge score of pharmacists and job status of pharmacist (P = 0.043*) and location of pharmacy (P = 0.05*). The frequency of dispensing medicines without prescription was found to be significantly associated with age of staffs dispensing (P = 0.04*) and with their education status (P = 0.04*). Conclusion: Pharmacists had an average level of knowledge regarding the practice of dispensing drugs without prescription in India. However, pharmacists tend to dispense medicines without prescription on request of patients.