Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13823
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
Silverman E.
Consumers Want Gifts To Docs Disclosed: Survey
Pharmalot 2008 Jun
http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/06/consumers-want-gifts-to-docs-disclosed-survey
Notes:
http://www.prescriptionproject.org/assets/pdfs/Prescripton%20Project%20Survey_0618.pdf
Full text:
A majority of Americans – 68 percent – support legislation to require drugmakers to disclose gifts and payments to docs, according to a new survey by the Prescription Project. Americans also disapprove of many types of gifts and payments to docs, support legislation that would allow clinical experts to provide unbiased drug info to doc in the form of academic detailing, and think pharma has a moderate to extremely large influence on prescribing patterns by docs.
Other findings: 52 percent say accepting gifts from pharma influences how docs make prescribing decisions and another 26 percent believe gifts have a moderate influence. 86 percent believe free dinners should not be allowed; 80 percent believe speaking fees shouldn’t allowed; 78 percent believe free lunches at the office shouldn’t be allowed; 70 percent believe free note pads and pens shouldn’t be allowed, and 62 percent believe free attendance at mandatory CME shouldn’t be allowed.
What else? 64 percent believe it’s important to know a doc’s financial ties to drugmakers; 68 percent would support legislation requiring drugmakers to publicly disclose any gifts or payments given to docs; 62 percent support legislation that makes it easier to tell how much money and gifts a doctor receives from drugmakers; 71 percent would support legislation that promotes academic detailing; 55 percent say they would be unlikely to directly ask their docs if he or she has accepted gifts, speaking fees or other financial support from a drugmaker.
Here are the complete results. The survey was conducted between June 4 and June 8, queried 1009 adults across the US.
