Monday, June 16, 2014

Pharma marketing impacts on junior doctor prescribing

JAMA Network | JAMA Internal Medicine | Association of Marketing Interactions With Medical Trainees’ Knowledge About Evidence-Based Prescribing:  Results From a National Survey: "A 10-point higher industry relations index was associated with 15% lower odds of selecting an evidence-based prescribing choice (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92) (P < .001). There was also a significant association between the industry relations index and greater odds of choosing to prescribe brand-name drugs (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16) (P = .04).

Conclusions and Relevance  Among physician trainees, our survey showed an association between positive attitudes toward industry-physician interactions and less knowledge about evidence-based prescribing and greater inclination to recommend brand-name drugs. Policies intended to insulate trainees from pharmaceutical marketing may promote better educational outcomes."