The self-perceived role and educational needs of pharmaceutical representatives: a survey
M J O'Donnell1, D W Molloy, S D Smith
1Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Henderson Site, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. odonnm@mcmaster.ca
Introduction:
Despite considerable debate in the medical literature about the educational utility of pharmaceutical representatives (PR), little is known about their attitudes towards their role as marketers and/or educators, their ability to provide comprehensive information about products and their learning needs.
Design:
A survey.
Subjects And Method:
Questionnaires were mailed to 606 PRs from five Canadian pharmaceutical companies.
Results:
Of 309 (51%) respondents, 98% strongly agreed or agreed they had a role in educating doctors, while 52% strongly disagreed or disagreed their main goal was marketing. Overall, 92% agreed they had received adequate training to perform a well-informed detail, and 96% reported the information they provide is accurate. The majority (66%) felt a university-accredited program would improve the quality of their detailing.
Conclusion:
Most PRs believe their main goal is education. Despite most reporting that they had received adequate training, they felt that a university-accredited educational program would improve the quality of detailing. The number of years that a PR spent in the industry appears to have an effect on how they perceive their role.
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