Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13791

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: news

Healthcare: Health Websites Are Not Trusted
PR Week 2008 Jun 14
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1432090/healthcare_health_websites_are_not_trusted/

Full text:

Doctors do not trust the information pharmaceutical companies put on websites about their own products, according to results collated from a recent survey.

The research, commissioned by online medical resource OnMedica, found that only 27 per cent of doctors trusted the information provided on official pharma company websites.

However, despite the mistrust, doctors still prefer to receive product information online. Among the 500 doctors polled, 79 per cent said they preferred to receive information electronically. Just 15 per cent opted to receive information from sales reps, while six per cent preferred journal advertising.

Fleishman-Hillard account director James Smith said: ‘Receiving information electronically does not have to replace the traditional role of a sales rep. In the future pharma companies are likely to move towards more sophisticated interactions between sales reps and doctors online.’