Are we too fixated on clinical trial data? The case for using embedded case histories to influence prescribing

This article examines the assumptions used to support the strategic and tactical use of clinical trial data as the main type of information provided by pharmaceutical marketers. Evidence is presented which suggests that doctors use clinical trial data to construct general beliefs about a disease or product and that it is often used incorrectly when assessing the probability that a patient has a specific disease. Further evidence is examined which suggests that clinical experience is the most important type of information used when doctors make specific prescription decisions. A call is made for the pharmaceutical industry to address the need for experiential information by examining ways to provide doctors with detailed patient case histories.