Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15439

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

Hall J, Noyce P, Cantrill JHow do district nurses choose which products to prescribe.
How do district nurses choose which products to prescribe?
Br J Community Nurs. 2009 Jan; 14:(1):12,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363864

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to explore the influences on product selection by district nurses when they start to prescribe a product for the first time. Representatives from the pharmaceutical industry had the biggest impact on the prescribing of new products followed by the nurses’ colleagues with specialists being viewed more positively than non-specialists. The primary care trust and patients appeared to have little impact on product selection. The challenge for primary and secondary care trusts is to promote safe cost-effective, evidence-based prescribing and to maximize consistency across the primary – secondary care interface. NHS organizations wishing to influence prescribing must convince prescribers that they are interested in more than just reducing costs and they could do well to take a lead from the pharmaceutical industry when they try to get their messages across to prescribers.