The Impact of Legal Awareness among Independent Physicians on Compliance with Prescription Regulations in Accordance with the 2019 National Formulary in Banyumas Regency

Abstract

Drug prescription is a core competency that must be performed by licensed medical practitioners, including general practitioners and medical specialists or subspecialists. Among physicians, certain drugs or categories of medications only prescribed by specialists in accordance with established pharmaceutical guidelines. Despite these regulations, some general practitioners continue to prescribe medications beyond their authorized scope of practice. Given this concern, it is essential to evaluate the legal awareness of independent medical practitioners regarding their prescribing practices. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the legal awareness of independently practicing physicians and their compliance with prescription standards as outlined in the national formulary. This research employed a descriptive correlational design with a cross-sectional approach. The study population consisted of independent general practitioners practicing in Banyumas Regency. Data were collected through a google forms questionnaire, and analysis was conducted using the Pearson correlation test. The findings revealed a significant relationship between the legal awareness of independently practicing physicians and their compliance with prescription regulations as stipulated in the national formulary. Furthermore, the level of legal compliance demonstrated by practitioners was found to depend on their degree of legal awareness.