Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1967

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

Quinn RJ, O'Neill C.
Attitudes of general practitioners to their interactions with pharmaceutical companies: a qualitative study.
Ir Med J 2002 Jul-Aug; 95:(7):199-202
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12227525

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: To obtain the attitudes of a sample of General Practitioners to their interactions with pharmaceutical companies. DESIGN: Semi-structured face to face interviews. SETTING: General Practices in the north-west of Ireland. RESULTS: General Practitioners do not value their interactions with pharmaceutical representatives. They regard it as promotional, not educational activity and believe they are presented with biased information. Positive aspects (social, and receiving information) do not compensate. The content of educational meetings should be decided by G.Ps. alone. More directly promotional meetings are valued less, except when fairly lavish, in which case they are harder to resist. Material received through the post is not valued at all by G.Ps. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmaceutical companies in Ireland have a good relationship with G.Ps. It is in jeopardy. To rescue it, companies need to provide G.Ps. with assistance (information and other types) which is directly helpful to G.Ps. caring for their patients. Companies need to row back on the deluge of promotional material that G.Ps. are faced with. G.Ps. need to be trained to learn how to demand more helpful material from companies, and to refuse the promotional tidal wave.

Keywords:
Advertising Attitude of Health Personnel* Drug Industry* Humans Interprofessional Relations* Ireland Physicians, Family/psychology* *analytic survey *cross-sectional study Ireland primary care doctors relationship between medical profession and industry sales representatives CME continuing medical education quality of information ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY: DOCTORS PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: DETAILING PROMOTION DISGUISED: SUPPORT FOR CME PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: DIRECT MAIL PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: PROMOTIONAL DINNERS