Influencing prescribers

Appropriate drug therapy is centered on the acts of selection and dosing of pharmaceuticals. Prescribing drugs has been the exclusive province of physicians until recently. Pharmacists and others who seek to encourage physicians to prescribe specific drugs or therapies or to use pharmaceuticals in a particular manner have addressed their concerns through influence. The article examines direct and indirect methods of influencing prescribers. The changing goals of providers, payers, pharmacists, and patients are discussed, and the effectiveness of various methods of influencing prescribers are reviewed, including financial incentives, drug use evaluation, persuasion, collaboration, and computer-aided information delivery.