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Academic Detailing

Poll Results from Medscape
Poll conducted 12-Aug-2008 - 19-Aug-2008
http://www.medscape.com/px/instantpo...26&uac=29890SX

A new bill in Congress would send trained clinicians into doctors’ offices with independent data about the relative benefits, risks, and costs of drugs; some research suggests that such "academic detailing" reduces potential prescribing bias from the influence of drug company reps.

What effect do you think such a program would have?

Would significantly reduce bias
15% (39)

Would somewhat reduce bias
34% (86)

Would not reduce bias
12% (32)

Uncertain
8% (22)

My prescribing decisions are not influenced by drug company representatives
28% (72)

Total Responses: 251

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Press release on the Bill from US Senate Special Committee on Aging
Hearings http://aging.senate.gov/hearing_detail.cfm?id=301620&

SENATE, HOUSE MEMBERS INTRODUCE BILL TO PROVIDE DOCTORS WITH UNBIASED INFORMATION ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

July 31, 2008

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI), Senate Majority Whip **** Durbin (D-IL), and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) were joined by House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in introducing a bill in both chambers to provide doctors with unbiased information on prescription drugs. This federal “academic detailing” program would provide physicians and other prescribers with an objective source of information on all prescription drugs, based on independent, scientific research. Currently, pharmaceutical sales representatives are one of the only ways doctors learn about new drugs on the market, and evidence has shown that interaction with them can impact doctors’ prescribing patterns. In April, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an editorial underscoring the need for physician access to unbiased research about the drugs available on the market.

“This bill will provide an important alternative to the way doctors currently get their information about drugs—from the drug companies themselves. This practice seems to be fraught with conflicts of interest,” said Kohl. “By providing physicians with thorough, independent research on all the drugs available to them, we believe we can improve the quality of health care and reduce the cost of prescription drugs in America.”

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