Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4678

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Brotzman GL, Mark DH.
The effect on resident attitudes of regulatory policies regarding pharmaceutical representative activities.
J Gen Intern Med 1993 Mar; 8:(3):130-4

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect on resident attitudes of policies regarding pharmaceutical representative interactions with residents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: National sample of U.S. family medicine residencies. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy-eight residents from 14 randomly selected programs. Seven programs had written policies and restrictions (restricted programs), and seven had no such restriction or guideline (free programs). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The authors assessed resident attitudes regarding the perception of benefit from pharmaceutical representative activities, the usefulness of various sources of drug information, and the appropriateness of accepting gifts from a pharmaceutical representative. There were 265/378 respondents (70% response rate). Residents from restricted programs reported fewer benefits from pharmaceutical representative interactions and were less likely to feel that acceptance of gifts was appropriate. The amount of exposure to pharmaceutical representatives was positively correlated with perceived benefit and negatively correlated with ratings of appropriateness of gift acceptance. CONCLUSION: Regulatory policies can influence resident attitudes and perceptions. Training programs should develop written policies to help guide resident-pharmaceutical representative interactions.

Keywords:
*analytic survey/United States/physicians in training/attitude toward promotion/sales representatives/source of information/gift giving/regulation of promotion/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: PHYSICIANS IN TRAINING/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: GIFT GIVING/PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: DOCTORS/PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: DETAILING/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: CONTACT WITH MEDICAL STUDENTS AND HOSPITAL STAFF

Notes:

Methodology note: Family practice residents were surveyed and the results may not be generalizable to other groups of residents. There is the possibility of a social acceptability bias in the responses. Self reports of residents’ exposure to sales representatives may be biased by a resident’s attitude towards sales representatives. The study is cross-sectional and cannot definitively determine the causal direction of associations or eliminate unknown confounders.