Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13785

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Dens N, Eagle LC, De Pelsmacker P.
Attitudes and self-reported behavior of patients, doctors, and pharmacists in New Zealand and Belgium toward direct-to-consumer advertising of medication.
Health Commun 2008 Jan-Feb; 23:(1):45-61
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1080/10410230701805190

Abstract:

Patients’, doctors’, and pharmacists’ attitudes toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for medication and their perceptions of its impact on patient self-reported behavior in terms of request for, and consumption of, advertised medication were investigated. Data were obtained in New Zealand, 1 of only 2 countries that allow mass-media DTCA for prescription medication, and in Belgium, which does not. Attitudes were relatively negative in both countries, but significantly more positive in New Zealand than in Belgium. The impact of DTCA (both in a positive and a negative sense) on self-reported patient behavior and patient interaction with doctors and pharmacists was limited in both countries. Although — as already established in previous work — the informativeness and reliability of DTCA can be much improved, and the attitude of medical professionals toward DTCA is negative in both countries, from the point of view of medical professionals and patients, DTCA does not harm the self-reported relationship between doctors, pharmacists, and patients.

Keywords:
Publication Types: Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH Terms: Advertising as Topic* Aged Belgium Female Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* Humans Male Middle Aged New Zealand Patients/psychology* Pharmaceutical Preparations* Pharmacists/psychology* Physicians/psychology* Questionnaires Substances: Pharmaceutical Preparations