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Factors associated with physicians' reliance on pharmaceutical sales representatives
Britta L Anderson1, Gabriel K Silverman, George F Loewenstein
1The American College of Obstetricians, Washington, DC 20024, USA. banderson@acog.org
Summary
Physicians often find pharmaceutical representatives valuable, with many relying on them for prescribing decisions. Dispensing drug samples increases this reliance, regardless of perceived value.
Area of Science:
- Medical Practice
- Pharmaceutical Marketing
- Physician Education
Background:
- Pharmaceutical representatives are a key information source for physicians.
- Understanding physician-industry relationships is crucial for evidence-based prescribing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine obstetrician-gynecologists' interactions with pharmaceutical representatives.
- To identify factors influencing physicians' reliance on representatives for prescribing decisions.
Main Methods:
- A 2006-2007 survey of 515 randomly selected obstetrician-gynecologists.
- Questionnaires assessed information sources, representative interactions, perceived value, and guideline awareness.
Main Results:
- 76% found representative information valuable; 29% relied on them often/always for new drugs.
- Private practice physicians interacted with, valued, and relied on representatives more than those in university hospitals.
- Dispensing samples correlated with increased reliance, independent of perceived information value.
Conclusions:
- Physician-industry interactions and guideline awareness differ by practice setting.
- Sample dispensing may unduly influence prescribing decisions, exceeding physicians' own assessments of representative information value.
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