Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Medical Students Regarding Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Selection

Health economics focuses on improving healthcare system efficiency through the effective use of limited resources. Rising healthcare costs, chronic diseases, and expensive medications make resource allocation increasingly important. Pharmacoeconomics is a key tool for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of drug therapies, supporting both medication management and patient access. Rational drug use further optimizes resources by promoting safe and clinically appropriate treatments. Medication expenses constitute a major part of healthcare spending, and physicians’ prescribing behaviors directly affect these costs. Physicians decide which drugs to prescribe, at what doses, and for how long, making them key targets for pharmaceutical marketing. Understanding medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and prescribing tendencies regarding pharmacoeconomics is therefore crucial for education and healthcare planning. This cross-sectional study at Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine included 340 voluntary students from all six years. The survey had three sections: demographic data, a pharmacoeconomics knowledge and attitude scale, and factors affecting prescribing behavior. Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with data analyzed descriptively. Results showed that students had moderate pharmacoeconomics knowledge (mean: 3.2 ± 0.5) and awareness (mean: 3.3 ± 0.5), which correlated with rational drug use. Pharmacoeconomics knowledge was moderately correlated with decision impact/application (r=0.48, p