THE OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS REGARDING DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING

BACKGROUND. The use of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) by pharma ceutical companies is increasing. Our study examines the opinions and experiences of family physicians concerning DTCA. METHODS. A survey in strument designed to elicit the opinions, experiences, and perceptions of family physicians about DTCA was sent to a 2% (N = 880) systematic sampling of active physician members of the American Academy of Famil y Physicians. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses wi th t tests and chi(2) tests for independence used to examine subgroup response differences. RESULTS. Four hundred fifty-four (52%) physician s responded to the survey. Most physicians (95%) had encountered DTCA personally, and had been approached by an average of 7 patients over t he previous 6 months with requests for specific prescription drugs. Pr escription antihistamines and antihypertensive drugs were the most com monly requested. Overall, 80% of the physician respondents believed th at print DTCA was not a good idea, while 84% expressed negative feelin gs about television and radio advertising. Both groups cited ''mislead ing biased view'' and ''increased costs'' as the most common disadvant ages. Some reported benefits included ''better informed patients'' and ''promoting physician-patient communication.'' CONCLUSIONS. Overall, the study group physicians had negative feelings about DTCA in both pr int and electronic media. Studies directly examining patient perspecti ves, as well-as cost benefits, are necessary to test the validity of t he physicians' perceptions about DTCA.