Faculty Collaboration Database

Patient perceptions of physician acceptance of gifts from the pharmaceutical industry. Arch Fam Med 1995 Apr;4(4):335-9

Date

04/01/1995

Pubmed ID

7711920

DOI

10.1001/archfami.4.4.335

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85047690095 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   46 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine patient perceptions of professional appropriateness and the potential impact on health care of physician acceptance of gifts from the pharmaceutical industry.

DESIGN: A random-digit dialing telephone survey.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 649 adults (> or = 18 years old) living in Kentucky.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient awareness of office-use gifts (eg, pens, notepads) and personal gifts to physicians from the pharmaceutical industry, patient exposure to office-use gifts, and attitudes toward physician acceptance of both office-use and personal gifts.

RESULTS: The survey had a response rate of 55%. Eighty-two percent of the respondents were aware that physicians received office-use gifts, while 32% were aware that physicians received personal gifts. Seventy-five percent reported receiving free samples of medication from their physicians. Compared with office-use gifts, more respondents believed that personal gifts to physicians have a negative effect on both health care cost (42% vs 26%) and quality (23% vs 13%). After controlling for demographic variables, as well as awareness and exposure to physician gifts, individuals with at least a high school education were 2.4 times as likely to believe that personal gifts have a negative effect on the cost of health care and 2.3 times as likely to believe that personal gifts would have a negative effect on the quality of health care.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the public is generally uninformed about personal gifts from pharmaceutical companies to physicians. If public perception regarding the objectivity of the medical profession is to serve as a guide, these findings suggest a reevaluation may be in order for guidelines regarding physician acceptance of gifts from the pharmaceutical industry.

Author List

Mainous AG 3rd, Hueston WJ, Rich EC

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Attitude to Health
Data Collection
Drug Industry
Female
Gift Giving
Humans
Kentucky
Male
Middle Aged
Patients
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Physicians
Quality of Health Care
Social Perception