KNOWLEDGE AND CURRENT PRACTICES REGARDING INTERACTIONS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES AND CERTAIN OTHER MEDICATION AND ADVICE GIVEN BY EMERGENCY DOCTORS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF KOLKATA

Introduction: Oral contraceptive pills or birth control pills are the medications that are used to avoid pregnancy. The contraceptive pills contain small quantities of synthetically prepared progesterone and estrogen hormones. They impede the functioning of natural hormones and interfere with implantation and fertilization of egg and thus prevent pregnancy. The combined oral contraceptive pill is a popular form of contraception for women of child bearing age worldwide. Aims and Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge of emergency doctors in tertiary care hospitals of Kolkata regarding interactions of oral contraceptives and oral antibiotics. The objective of our study was to find the awareness among the emergency doctors regarding interactions of oral contraceptives and antibiotics and advice give in emergency department. Material and Methods: This is a prospectively multi centre, multiple choice questionnaire based study, was conducted at emergency department of various hospitals in Kolkata. The Hospitals are multi-specialty hospital that provides all kind of medical facilities. Focus of the study is to determine the awareness, knowledge & ability of Emergency doctors when they are prescribing broad spectrum antibiotics to the females of child bearing age who are on oral contraceptive pills, which can cause OCP failure. Questions were put in Survey Monkey and circulated in Emergency Department of different hospitals in Kolkata. Questionnarie Format 1. For the purpose of this proposal, a closed question format to collect data was used. 2. To determine knowledge level, a multiple choice format was used. Multiple choices offer the participant a list of response, from which they select the most appropriate. 3. The questions look at, what advice was given to women who had been prescribed broad spectrum antibiotics. 4. The set of questionnaire have been referenced from a previously done similar study, and has then been further refined by our H.O.D. Sample Size: For the purpose of this proposal, data was collected from all participants fulfilling the inclusive criteria. The expected sample size that was recruited for this study is calculated with the help of ?Raosoft? sample size calculator. The following data were entered: Population size: 100 Confidence level: 98% Margin of error: 9% Response of distribution: 50% The sample size required for this survey was calculated as 100, with the following formula: Sample size is n and margin of error is E are given by, X=z(c/100)2r(100-r) n=Nx/((N-1)E2+x) E=Sqrt[(N-n)X/n(N-1)] Where N is the population size r is the fraction of responses that you are interested in z(c/100) is the critical value for the confidence level c. Results: Our study showed that most of the emergency physicians (medical officers / PGT / MEM-PGT/ Registrars /Residents) do not have the knowledge that oral antibiotics can cause oral contraceptive failure. It was found that consultants have better knowledge and awareness than other emergency physicians. There was a higher proportion of emergency physicians who were able to take proper oral contraceptive history from the patient of child bearing age on OCP. It was found that higher proportion of emergency physicians do not know what advice should be given while prescribing broad spectrum antibiotics to the patient of child bearing age on OCP. We also found that Most of the emergency physicians do not have knowledge regarding interaction of Rifampin with oral contraceptives but higher proportion of doctors have the knowledge that Tetracycline can cause oral contraceptive failure. Present study also found that higher proportion of doctors did not have the knowledge that Penicillins and Aampicilin can cause oral contraceptive failure. Higher percentage of doctors documented the advice given about the additional use of contraception after prescribing oral antibiotics. Conclusion: There is a knowledge deficit among emergency physicians regarding the interaction between oral antibiotics and other medication with OCP.