An. Thomson et Pm. Barham, THE EFFECT OF A WARNING ABOUT PUTATIVE ADVERSE EVENTS ON DRUG PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL-PRACTICE, Social science & medicine, 37(7), 1993, pp. 883-886
Many studies have looked at factors influencing doctors' prescribing.
None have done this during a time when prescribers have been just made
aware of potential serious adverse events that might be caused by a c
ommonly prescribed medication. A controversy over the safety of Fenote
rol (Boehringer Ingelheim) in 1989 provided an opportunity for such a
study in general practice. Practitioners were exposed to conflicting a
nd changing views from authoritative sources, patient concerns raised
by the coverage of the issue in the news media, and a need to maintain
patients on effective therapy. The study demonstrated that the majori
ty of general practitioners would act promptly and conservatively when
faced with uncertainty about the safety of the medication they prescr
ibed.