title: Awareness and perceptions of Vermont's prescribed product gift ban and disclosure law by prescribers and pharmacists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vermont law strictly regulates the interactions between pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care providers, including gifts, meals, and medication samples. The purpose of this study was to describe providers' awareness and perceptions of current requirements.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey was completed by Vermont providers, including prescribers and pharmacists. The survey asked providers about their awareness of 15 different legal requirements and about their level of agreement with these requirements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred and eleven providers completed the survey (61% male, mean age 52 years, and 71% physicians). Awareness of the 15 requirements ranged from 28.4% to 93.8%. Most providers agreed or had no strong opinions. Responses at significance levels of P < .001 were noted in 8 of 15 requirements when perceptions were stratified by providers who had any interactions with pharmaceutical representatives in the past year (N = 227, 55.4%) versus providers who reported no interactions (N = 183; 44.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high proportion of Vermont providers are unaware of the current law. Most agreed or had no strong opinions about the requirements; however, at least a quarter disagreed with banning small gifts and meals. Having any interaction with pharmaceutical representatives changed how providers perceived the requirements. These data may be useful for other states considering similar laws.
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. amanda.kennedy@uvm.edu
authors.forename: Amanda G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Possidente
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Pinckney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D030881:Disclosure / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D037921:Gift Giving; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D010595:Pharmacists; D010820:Physicians