Clinicians' Reactions to Point-of-Care Advertising in Electronic Health Records

Pharmaceutical marketers have introduced novel ways to deliver point-of-care advertising to clinicians through their electronic health record systems (EHRs) workflow. However, there is a lack of research exploring clinicians' perspectives on prescription drug promotion within EHR systems.

To understand clinicians' awareness of, experience with, and opinions about EHR drug promotion.

This qualitative study conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 36 clinicians, including physicians, physician assistants, and hospital-based pharmacists. The interviews were conducted between March 19, 2024, and April 9, 2024, using an online videoconference platform. Participants were asked about their knowledge of EHRs that display drug promotions. Participants were shown sample EHR drug promotions in different formats, including banner ads, pop-ups, and sponsored content. For each drug promotion viewed, participants were asked questions about their overall thoughts, likes, recognition, intentions, and if they had any concerns.

Participants expressed a lack of awareness regarding the existence of prescription drug promotions that could be displayed within and around EHR systems. Overall, participants preferred promotions that offered cost savings to the patients or that they considered informative. However, many raised concerns about the ethical implications and potential distractions associated with EHR drug promotion.

The findings from this qualitative study contribute to the sparse literature on the clinicians' perceptions of EHR drug promotion. The findings highlight the need for further investigation into the influence of prescription drug promotions within EHRs.