Doctors prescription habits affected by pharmaceutical representatives

Published in JAMA. 2000;283:373-380.

Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry. Is a Gift Ever Just a Gift?
Ashley Wazana, MD

This paper can be accessed at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/283/3/373
 
Wazana found that physician interactions with pharmaceutical representatives were generally endorsed, began in medical school, and continued at a rate of about 4 times per month. This led to:
 
(a) Meetings with pharmaceutical representatives were associated with requests by physicians for adding the drugs to the hospital formulary and changes in prescribing practice.
 
(b) Drug company–sponsored continuing medical education (CME) preferentially highlighted the sponsor's drug(s) compared with other CME programs.
 
(c) Attending sponsored CME events and accepting funding for travel or lodging for educational symposia were associated with increased prescription rates of the sponsor's medication.
 
(d) Attending presentations given by pharmaceutical representative speakers was also associated with nonrational prescribing.
 
Wazana concludes the present extent of physician-industry interactions appears to affect prescribing and professional behavior and should be further addressed at the level of policy and education.
 
In a nutshell: You are likely to be prescribed whatever the pharmaceutical representativetells your doctor to prescribe.

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