Healthy Skepticism Library item: 647

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

Williams PA, Cockerill R, Lowy FH.
The physician as prescriber: relations between knowledge about prescription drugs, encounters with patients and the pharmaceutical industry, and prescription volume
Health and Canadian Society 1995; 3:135-166

Keywords:
*analytic survey Canada doctors quality of prescribing source of information sales representatives attitude toward promotion gift giving drug company sponsored meals and travel sponsored symposia & conferences promotion costs and volume ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EDUCATING ABOUT PROMOTION: PHYSICIANS IN TRAINING INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PRESCRIBING, DRUG USE PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: DOCTORS VOLUME OF AND EXPENDITURE ON PROMOTION

Notes:

(Limited to parts of article dealing with promotion.) This paper analyzes data on interactions between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry based on a data from a representative survey of Ontario doctors. Overall doctors were skeptical about industry sources of information but despite this contacts between physicians and the industry were frequent. Over 25% of the highest volume prescribers rated “company representatives” as important sources of information and more than a third judged corporate seminars in the same way. Doctors frequently received benefits from sales representatives such as meals, stationary and 10% had accepted “conference fees.” Recommendations for changing the way that physicians interact with the industry are offered.