In India, it is common to have fear about injections right from pediatric population to geriatric population. If roughly stated, in an urban area, people prefer to take tablets over injections. On the other hand, there is a common belief in rural population that they are not treated well if they have not given an injection. There must be some criteria that the doctors are using to choose injection over tablet or tablet over injection.
For instance, injections are associated with pain, and in rare cases, few complications and conversely, missing dosage and PK/PD profile may limit the benefits of tablets. Now, if a patient requests a doctor to give tablet instead of injection or vice versa, for a particular disease condition, what do you prefer and on what basis? Please suggest your criteria to prescribe tablet over injection or vice versa?
