Prescribing attitudes of different physician groups regarding fluoxetine.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the attitudes and prescribing patterns of family medicine and psychiatric physicians regarding fluoxetine.

DESIGN

A three-part questionnaire was distributed to the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry. The survey included topics associated with fluoxetine use that have received broad professional attention, such as drug-induced suicidal and aggressive behavior.

SETTING

The Family Practice Medical Group and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida.

PARTICIPANTS

Mailing lists from both above departments were used to distribute surveys to residents, fellows, and attending/faculty members of each department. Eighty-seven surveys were mailed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Survey questions were divided into three sections to help determine current attitudes of prescribing fluoxetine: eight short cases, 16 statements, and demographic data.

RESULTS

The return rate was 69 percent following a mailing and a hand-delivered copy. Responses were dichotomized to agree or disagree and were analyzed by Fisher's exact test. Psychiatrists were much more likely than family practitioners to prescribe fluoxetine for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and more likely to prescribe for a patient with a history of substance abuse or seizure disorder. Psychiatrists were more aware of safety issues; however, drug-interaction knowledge was weak in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Family practitioners, being the most predominant of medical specialists, appeared equally comfortable with prescribing fluoxetine in most circumstances compared with psychiatrists. However, there is a need for pharmacists to provide up-to-date drug information on fluoxetine to all healthcare professionals.