Using drug samples can hinder quality: docs may opt for pricier drugs, even if less sale

HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement,  March, 2004  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

According to Ubel, the policy of most scientific/medical journals is to refer to medications by their generic names not trade names. For example, an article will discuss the effectiveness of omeprazole without any mention of Prilosec. That likely reduces the "stickiness" of the information. Trade names often are catchier and easier to remember than generic names. So a physician who is used to thinking about the risks and benefits of Prilosec may not remember what he or she read about omeprazole.

What does Ubel recommend to readers of Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement ?

"If you're trying to improve the quality of care at your institution, you should think like a pharmaceutical rep and send the message to the docs that you want them to get," he advises.

"Pharmaceutical sales reps call what they do detailing; what is needed is what has been called counterdetailing," Ubel adds.

"Walk in like a sales rep, set up a table of donuts, and teach people about the most inexpensive and effective ways to treat patients. Before your presentation, just ask yourself, 'What would a pharmaceutical rep do?'"

Key Points

* Some institutions prohibit the dispensing of drug samples.

* Once samples run out, patients must bear greater cost burden.

* Being provided samples creates prescribing habits among physicians.

Need More Information?

For more information, contact:

* Peter A. Ubel, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School; Director, Program for Improving Health Care Decisions, U-M Health System, Ann Arbor, MI. E-mail: paubel@umich.edu.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Health Consultants, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group