Physician switching after drug request refusal.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Marketing
• Patient-Physician Relationship Dynamics

Background:

• Physician switching indicates patient-physician relationship quality.
• Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) influences patient requests for prescription drugs.
• Factors driving physician switching post-DTCA are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine physician switching behaviors in response to DTCA.
• To identify patient characteristics associated with switching after a prescription drug request is denied.

Main Methods:

• National telephone survey of 2,988 participants.
• Analysis of 818 participants exposed to DTCA who requested a prescription.
• Examination of switching behavior among those whose requests were denied.

Main Results:

• 27.4% of DTCA-exposed participants requested a prescription drug.
• 24.0% of these requests were denied by their physician.
• 13.9% of patients whose requests were denied switched physicians.
• Regular medical-seeking behavior, full prescription coverage, chronic conditions, and African American origin were linked to higher switching rates.

Conclusions:

• DTCA can impact patient-physician dynamics and lead to physician switching.
• Specific patient demographics and health statuses are associated with increased switching post-DTCA denial.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for managing patient expectations and physician relationships in the era of pharmaceutical marketing.