Effect of Restricting Contact Between Pharmaceutical Company Representatives and Internal Medicine Residents on Posttraining Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

In recent years the literature on the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry has moved from being based primarily on strongly held opinions to one offering data to test hypotheses. There is recent evidence showing that information conveyed to physicians by pharmaceutical company representatives (PCRs) is selected, favorable to the product, and in some cases inaccurate.^1-3 A number of observational studies have shown that the prescribing behavior of physicians can be affected by gifts and other incentives from the pharmaceutical industry.⁴ Orlowski and Wateska⁵ demonstrated in a cohort study that physicians were more likely to prescribe 2 new drugs after attending an all-expenses-paid symposium at a luxury resort. Chren and Landefeld⁶ have shown that physicians who request that new drugs be added to hospital formularies are significantly more likely to have accepted money to attend or speak at symposiums, or to have performed research involving the drugs than those who do not make such requests.