New Zealand general practitioners' views on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines: a qualitative analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the range of opinions held by a sample of New Zealand general practitioners (GPs) toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines.


METHODS
Depth interviews were conducted with 20 GPs. The interview protocol examined several aspects of the debate over DTCA, including its appropriateness, informativeness, and effect on doctors' relationships with their patients. The interview included five sets of forced choice statements that summarised key strands of the debate; these were used as preliminary stimuli to elicit doctors' views.


RESULTS
The results reveal a low incidence of DTCA-related queries and a wide range of views on the appropriateness of DTCA. Respondents favourably viewed DTCA's ability to increase awareness of some health conditions, although they had serious concerns about the adequacy of the risk and contraindication information provided as well as the general absence of specific cost details. While some doctors resented having to deal with questions arising from DTCA, few considered that this advertising undermined the relationship they have with their patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, while the majority of respondents did not support a ban on DTCA, most of them thought that stricter regulation was necessary. These findings clarify the conclusions drawn from quantitative studies, and suggest doctors' views of DTCA may be more complex than previously reported.
Maubach
Ninya
N
Department of Marketing, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. N.B.Maubach@massey.ac.nz
Hoek
Janet
J
D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000379:methods*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D010358:Patient Participation; D036301:Qualitative Research