Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20400

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

Spiller LD, Wymer WW Jr.
Physicians' perceptions and uses of commercial drug information sources: an examination of pharmaceutical marketing to physicians.
Health Mark Q 2001; 19:(1):91-106
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J026v19n01_07?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed

Abstract:

Data were collected from physicians attending a medical conference. This exploratory study was primarily interested in two areas. First, the investigators were interested in better understanding physicians’ responses to different promotional tactics typically used by the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical representatives were most useful, followed by drug samples and infomercials in medical journals. Direct mail, promotional faxes, and promotional products were used less by physicians. Second, the investigators were interested in learning what information sources influenced physicians’ drug choices. Physicians were primarily influenced by their prior experience with a drug, then by drug compendiums, and journal articles. Physicians were also influenced by information provided by the industry and other factors, like the drug’s price and their patients’ financial situations. Managerial implications for marketing to physicians and ideas for future research are discussed.

Keywords:
Advertising as Topic* Attitude of Health Personnel* Drug Industry/statistics & numerical data* Drug Information Services/statistics & numerical data Drug Information Services/utilization* Humans Persuasive Communication* Physicians/psychology* Physicians/statistics & numerical data Questionnaires United States