Pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and evaluation of direct-to-consumer advertising

Regulation of medicines advertisement in Zimbabwe: an assessment of the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on the prescribing behaviour of healthcare professionals

BACKGROUND

The pharmaceutical industry plays a key role in drug discovery and is considered useful regards to informing the health care workers health care workers about new medicines. Investigations concerning health care workers to industry interactions are less common. The objective of this study is to determine levels of knowledge, attitude and perception towards regulation of pharmaceutical promotion among healthcare practitioners in Zimbabwe.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was used and 330 healthcare practitioners were enrolled into the study. Data collection was done through combined face-to-face interviews and web-based online survey. The relative importance index score and used as a measure of knowledge, attitude and perception levels towards pharmaceutical promotion. Univariate and bivariate analysis was performed using STATA software package.

RESULTS

Our study estimated that 95%, 67%, and 90% of the healthcare practitioners in Zimbabwe have a favourable (i.e. > 65%) relative importance index score of knowledge, attitudes, and perception, respectively, towards regulation of pharmaceutical promotion. Further exploration of the data indicated that the factors that had an association with the knowledge, attitude and perception levels towards regulation of pharmaceutical regulation at 5% level of significance include health care workers' profession, gender, education level, the nature of the working institution and the number of prescriptions involved per week.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the findings of this study highlighted that in general the health care workers in Zimbabwe have higher levels of knowledge, attitude and perception towards regulation of pharmaceutical promotion, though the attitudes levels weres a  bit lower compared to other domains.

The Use of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Pharmaceutical Advertisements in Televised and Print Formats as a Teaching Tool in a Pharmacy Curriculum

The overall goal of this study was to employ direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCAs) as a teaching tool in a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. The objectives of this pilot study were to investigate the following questions: 1. Do DTCAs generate student curiosity about the advertised drug and associated disease? 2. Can DTCAs help students understand and reinforce various pharmacological aspects of the drug? 3. How do students perceive DTCAs? A DTCA-based teaching tool was employed in a pharmacology course taken by P2 (second professional year) PharmD and final year (U4) Bachelor of Science (BS) in Pharmacology–Toxicology students. A voluntary online survey was administered to students to determine the effectiveness of this tool. Survey data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. 70–85% of responding students indicated that this teaching tool was an effective visual aid for learning pharmacology and correlating the drug to disease state, mechanism of action, and adverse effects. Moreover, themes identified from the qualitative analysis suggest that this teaching tool may be useful to enhance patient counseling skills in students. The initial implementation of this DTCA-based teaching tool proved to be successful, and a similar approach can be easily implemented in other pharmacotherapy and laboratory courses. Further studies are needed to determine if this approach can improve patient counseling skills.

Information versus influence: An analysis of educational, relational, and identity rewards present in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising

BACKGROUND

Pharmaceutical companies have rationalized rapid increases in spending on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) by highlighting the educational potential that such efforts have for patients. Others have argued that profits and influence, not educational benefits, are the true motivators for the expansion of DTCA. It is critical that pharmacists be aware of the content of direct-to-consumer advertisements to best counsel patients on proper medication expectations.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the ways in which drug information is being presented to patients and whether such rewards may act as a form of education regarding a greater emphasis on the product or the condition the drug is designed to treat.

METHODS

This study conducted a content analysis of 60 broadcast prescription drug advertisements appearing over a 12-week primetime programming period across 4 major news networks to determine which types of educational, relational, and identity rewards were present across the textual, verbal, and visual modalities.

RESULTS

Findings indicated a greater overall presence of relational and identity rewards than educational rewards. Most of the educational rewards served to promote a particular drug rather than educate consumers about a condition. There was a statistically significant relationship between reward type and modality, such that there were greater relational and identity rewards within the visual modality and greater educational rewards in the textual modality than expected.

CONCLUSION

Findings showed that educational rewards in the service of promoting a particular drug were included more than 2.5 times as often as educational rewards about the condition treated. This lack of information about the condition suggests that DTCA may be aiming to increase profits by encouraging conversation between patients and providers about the advertised medications. As a result, a patient may demonstrate an increased desire to discuss a particular drug with a pharmacist or a provider rather than discussing information about the condition itself.

An Elective Course for Student Pharmacists on Pharmaceutical Industry Practice

Objective. To design and implement an elective course on pharmaceutical industry practice and assess its impact on student pharmacists' knowledge and perceptions. Methods. This was a two-credit hour, elective course offered to second- and third-year student pharmacists during the 2015 and 2016 spring semesters. The goal of this course was to provide instruction regarding skills and competencies for pharmaceutical industry practice. Curricular content included didactic instruction, assigned readings, weekly quizzes, classroom discussion of industry-based functions and responsibilities, and three application projects. A 65-item survey instrument was developed to assess changes in student pharmacists' perceptions and understanding of pharmaceutical industry practice. Results. Forty-four students enrolled in the elective course over the two offerings. The average rating on the course evaluation was 4.7 out of 5. Average scores on graded quizzes were 90%, and grades on the application projects ranged from 92% to 99%. There was an increase in the number of students who perceived that they understood various functions and roles in the pharmaceutical industry, and who rated themselves confident in completing unique tasks associated with pharmaceutical industry practice. Furthermore, there was an increase in the number of students who reported improved perceptions regarding the trustworthiness of the pharmaceutical industry, costs of prescription medications, and promotional advertising for branded prescription medication. Conclusion. Student pharmacists' perceptions of the course were positive, and overall perceptions and understanding of the pharmaceutical industry improved. Active collaboration between colleges and pharmaceutical companies can lead to positive educational opportunities for students interested in pharmaceutical industry careers.

A survey of perceptions and attitudes about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs among college students in South Korea

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs can be both beneficial and harmful to healthcare consumers. Therefore, DTCA for prescription drugs is a topic that should be considered crucially, at this point, when the interests of patients as well as pharmaceutical companies in DTCA of prescription drugs are growing in South Korea. The goals of this study were to investigate Korean college students’ perceptions and attitudes about DTCA of prescription drugs through a survey as well as to analyze data according to their college majors in order to identify differences in their perceptions and attitudes about prescription drug DTCAs as future health care professionals and consumers, respectively. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and November 2015. Participants were recruited from Chosun University in Gwangju, South Korea. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Chosun University Institutional Review Board. Of 1,040 questionnaires initially distributed, 774 were collected, and 742 were included in the analysis. The results of this study indicated that most students who had participated in the survey did not have sufficient knowledge of DTCA for prescription drugs. Approximately, 17% reported being cognizant of DTCA for prescription drugs. More healthcare students (24.6%) knew this term than non-healthcare students did (6.3%). In this study, most of the students were likely to feel that healthcare professionals (e.g., doctors and pharmacists) had the responsibility of delivering information about prescription drugs to patients, and that all prescription drugs DTCA, if it were permitted, had to be pre-approved by the Korean government. The results of this study indicated that DTCA for prescription drugs had to be permitted under the condition of pre-approval of the DTCA contents by the Korean government, and prescription drugs should not be advertised through the Internet. It is recommended that the Korean government cautiously examine whether DTCA of prescription drugs should be permitted, after considering the current marketing strategies of pharmaceutical companies on the Internet and the effects of online electronic-DTCA on Korean consumers.

Evaluation of first year student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are a limited number of pedagogical studies evaluating student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this two year prospective study was to evaluate changes in student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry during the first year of enrollment in the doctor of pharmacy curriculum.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

An online survey was developed and offered to all first-year student pharmacists during the 2014 and 2015 Fall semesters prior to didactic instruction on the pharmaceutical industry and then again at the end of the respective academic years. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.

FINDINGS

A majority of students had a positive impression of the pharmaceutical industry in both the fall (75%) and spring semesters (78%). Over the course of the year, significantly greater numbers of student pharmacists reported favorable impressions of the pharmaceutical industry with respect to research innovation, drug safety, and the provision of drug information. On the other hand, findings suggest that many students remain skeptical regarding the benefits of prescription medications relative to cost and there were significant increases in the number of students who perceived pharmaceutical industry-based marketing practices to have a negative impact on patients and society.

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

Didactic education may influence student pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry. Further research is warranted to evaluate the role of pharmacy curricula and extra-curricular activities in influencing changes in student pharmacists' perceptions and the potential implications of these changes to pharmacy practice.

Assessment of a Pharmaceutical Advertisement Analysis Module in a Drug Literature Evaluation Course

Objective. To evaluate the impact of an educational module on students' self-efficacy when analyzing the content of promotional drug brochures (PDBs) and to assess the students' value of PDBs' as an educational tool. Methods. Third-year bachelor of pharmacy students participated in a one-hour lecture and a two-hour laboratory. Students completed a survey before and after participating in the module. Results. The module elicited a statistically significant change in students' self-efficacy beliefs regarding evaluating promotional drug brochures, while the average perceived value of promotional drug brochures did not change significantly after the module. Conclusion. A brief educational module can increase students' self-efficacy in evaluating the content of PDBs.

Pharmacy students' opinions of direct-to-consumer advertising: a pilot study at one university

BACKGROUND

Direct-to-consumer advertisement (DTCA) of prescription medications has become an important informational source for health care consumers. As future health care professionals on the front line of potential communication and dispensing of products emerging from DTCA, it is important to elicit the attitudes of student-pharmacists.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to (1) evaluate the validity of the DTCA attitudinal questionnaire using Rasch rating scale analysis and (2) investigate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA and determine whether these attitudes were associated with years of pharmacy education and demographic characteristics.

METHODS

This investigation used a cross-sectional print-based questionnaire to evaluate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA of prescription medications. The 16-item questionnaire included items addressing the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA with respect to patients' knowledge of medications, pharmacists' interaction with patients, and overall consumer judgment of medical prescriptions. Analyses included Rasch analysis and a multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

A total of 243 students submitted usable questionnaires (85% response rate). Item response categories were collapsed from 5 categories to 3, and 4 items were removed to achieve acceptable Rasch model fit. Pharmacy students demonstrated little difficulty in agreeing with the statements suggesting that DTCA helps patients take a more active role in health care and had the most difficulty in agreeing with items suggesting that DTCA may lead to inappropriate prescribing to satisfy patient requests. Students' overall support for DTCA was the only variable that predicted the questionnaire score (P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the Rasch analysis evaluated the psychometric properties of the instrument and identified the necessity to adapt the questionnaire from previous iterations to adequately fit the student population. Future research should examine factors that contribute to the variance in attitudes toward DTCA among a larger and more heterogeneous population.