Attitudes towards antipsychotic drugs and their side effects: A comparison between students of medicine in Spain and Serbia

Abstract

Background. The appropriate use of antipsychotics by general practitioners is correlated with a positive attitude towards this group of drugs during their undergraduate studies. Objective. The aim of our study was to investigate and compare the attitudes of medical students in Spain and Serbia wards about the effectiveness and adverse effects of antipsychotic medications. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, 60 final-year medical students from Spain and Serbia were exposed to a case of a patient treated with antipsychotics who was experiencing side effects. A Likert-type questionnaire was then given to the students, capturing their attitudes towards antipsychotics. Results. Compared to the Spanish peers, the students from Serbia were more eager to use antipsychotics as a means of protecting the patients' families than forto help the patients themselves. The majority of the Serbian students thought that psychotic patients were supposed to tolerate the side effects of their medications, while the Spanish students were ready to change their treatment. The Serbian students were older than their Spanish peers, mostly males and Orthodox. Conclusions. Additional educational efforts are needed to improve the attitudes of older and more religious students, but these efforts will pay off in the future with more appropriate drug treatment of schizophrenic patients and improved patient adherence to the treatment.