Health professionals: how do they assess new medicines?
OBJECTIVE
To identify the types of information used by health professionals when assessing a new medicine, and to discover whether measures of clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are understood and used.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 56 health professionals was undertaken in a tertiary hospital in New Zealand. Respondents were consultants, registrars, house-surgeons, pharmacists, and specialist nurses


METHODS
Health professionals' opinions on clinical and cost information required for assessing a new medicine; their ability to calculate measures of risk; and their ability to define clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and types of economic analysis.


RESULTS
Thirty-four percent of respondents considered journals and research to be the most accurate sources of information when assessing a new medicine. Efficacy, safety, contraindications and side-effects were the most important information sought. In total, 93% gave an acceptable definition of clinical effectiveness, and 38% of cost-effectiveness. The majority of each profession (except specialist nurses) could calculate relative risk reduction (RRR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) but fewer could calculate numbers needed to treat (NNT). Eighty-four percent of respondents felt that cost affected their assessment of a new medicine. Less than a quarter of respondents could define each type of economic analysis. Consultants and pharmacists appeared to have the best knowledge of economic analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Efficacy, safety, contraindications and side-effects were the most important information sought when assessing a new medicine. Health professionals' knowledge of clinical effectiveness was greater than their knowledge of cost-effectiveness. Consultants and pharmacists appeared to have the best knowledge of economic analysis.
Cheng
Rebecca
R
Pharmacy, University of Otago, New Zealand. june.tordoff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Cook
Kirsty
K
Dowman
Sarah
S
Lawn
Rebecca
R
Leary
Jemma
J
Quinn
Taryn
T
Schroder
Kim
K
Smith
Nicola
N
Tordoff
June
J
D000075202:Contraindications; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004345:Drug Industry; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D020407:Internet; D009520:New Zealand; D009726:Nurses; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010595:Pharmacists; D010820:Physicians; D011643:Publishing; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations