Magnitude and associated factors of prescribing drugs by their brand names among prescribers working at selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background One possible mechanism for lowering expenditure on drugs and increasing their accessibility is by prescribing generic drugs, which are less costly and have equivalent safety and effectiveness profile as brand drugs. However, in Addis Ababa brand-prescribing practice is so common to the extent of making the health department administration of the city to write letters to subcities and hospitals discouraging brand prescribing. This study tried to identify the magnitude and factors affecting brand prescribing in the city. Objective: General objective of this study was to assess magnitude and associated factors of prescribing drugs by brand names at Addis Ababa. Methods An institution based analytical cross-sectional study design was employed from May to August, 2022, using a sample of 485 prescribers. The hospitals were selected by using simple random sampling method and prescribers from different departments were selected by using systematic random sampling method. Data was collected using semistructured, self-administered questionnaire and entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 for analysis. The data was described using percentages, graphs and tables. Mean and standard deviations were calculated to identify measures of central tendency and dispersion. Association between dependent and independent variables was checked using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models. Statistical significance was declared at 95% confidence interval and p < .05. Results The magnitude of prescribing drugs by their brand names was 54.0%. Being trained on good prescribing practice (AOR: 6.81; 95%CI: 2.08-22.28), confidence on Ethiopian Food and Drug Administration Authority (AOR: 18.18; 95%CI: 6.78-48.80), and knowledge about generic drugs (AOR: 11.86; 95%CI: 4.76-29.55) were found to be independent predictors of prescribing drugs by their brand names. Conclusion and recommendation Brand medicine prescribing is positively associated with training on good prescribing practice and knowledge about generic drugs. Hence, training prescribers on good prescribing practice and educating them about generic drugs can minimize brand prescribing.