[Prescribers' awareness about the pharmacology of the non-steroidal drugs in the capital town of Antananarivo].

In order to assess prescribers' level of knowledge about the pharmacology of the non steroidian anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), we led a prospective study without randomization among the caregivers of three university teaching hospitals and three private hospitals centres of Antananarivo, capital town of Malagasy Republic. The answers to the questionnaire were coded as known or unknown. Statistical analysis (by SPSS 10.0 software for Windows) displayed Fisher's exact test and p value less than 0.05 was set as cut-off for significance. The response rate was 71% (43 over 60), mainly from physicians (62.8%). The correct posology, the non-digestive adverse effects and the adequate follow-up were the main ignored items. Analysis by logistic regression demonstrated association between medical professionals and ignorance of adequate follow-up (p=0.030), female gender and ignorance of the non-digestive adverse effects (p=0.041). In conclusion, routine prescription hides ignorance about the safe use of the drug and periodical recycling of health professionals is helpful.