Pharmaceutical marketing strategies' influence on physicians' prescribing pattern in Lebanon: ethics, gifts, and samples
Pharmaceutical marketing strategies' influence on physicians' prescribing pattern in Lebanon: ethics, gifts, and samples
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DOI：
10.1186/s12913-019-3887-6
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发表时间：
2019-01-30
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Khazzaka, Micheline
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Khazzaka, Micheline
背景制药公司依靠他们的营销活动来影响医生。此前的研究表明，在发达国家，制药公司成功地管理了医生的处方行为。然而，很少有研究调查发展中国家、中东国家药品营销策略对处方模式的影响。这项研究的目的是定量检验药品公司的策略对黎巴嫩市场医生处方行为的影响，涉及医生的人口统计变量。此外，这项研究还测试了黎巴嫩医生是否认为接受礼物和样本是一种道德行为。通过WhatsApp进行了一项在线横断面研究。在2018年2月和3月期间进行了一项自填式问卷调查。计算了Cronbach‘s Alpha信度系数。采用IBM SPSS统计软件对数据进行统计分析。用卡方检验和Cramer‘s v检验寻找符号相关性，用Spearman检验衡量变量间关系的强度和方向。结果发现药品营销策略与医生的处方行为相关。我们证明，大多数被测试的促销工具大多是或有时是激励医生开出促销药物。医生一致认为最受激励的主要工具是医疗代表的访问和药品样品，而制药公司的销售电话是影响力较小的工具。关于接受礼物，这项研究表明，医生认为接受礼物是一种不道德的做法。结果显示，大多数医生使用免费样本来治疗他们的患者。我们证明了医生的处方模式与他们的年龄、性别和执业地点有关。结论本研究的发现提供了一项富有洞察力的工作，为本研究与以往文献融合的迫在眉睫的方向迈出了谦逊的一步。从管理的角度来看，制药公司的药品营销经理可以利用研究结果，针对黎巴嫩医生制定更好的战略，这些医生也可以从所获得的结果中受益。
BackgroundDrug companies rely on their marketing activities to influence physicians. Previous studies showed that pharmaceutical companies succeeded to manage physicians prescribing behavior in developed countries. However, very little studies investigated the impact of pharmaceutical marketing strategies on prescribing pattern in developing countries, middle-eastern countries. The objective of this research was to examine the influence of drug companies' strategies on physicians' prescription behavior in the Lebanese market concerning physicians' demographic variables quantitatively. Moreover, this study tested whether Lebanese physicians considered gifts and samples acceptance as an ethical practice.MethodsSampling was done by using a non-probability method. An online cross-sectional study was conducted through WhatsApp. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted during the months of February and March 2018. Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient was calculated. Data were statistically analyzed by using IBM SPSS statistics version 24 software. Chi-square and Cramer's v tests were used to finding sign correlation, and Spearman test was used to measure the strength and direction of a relationship between variables.ResultsResults found that pharmaceutical marketing strategies are correlated to physicians' prescribing behavior. We demonstrated that the majority of the promotional tools tested were mostly or sometimes motivating physicians to prescribe promoted drugs. The major tools that physicians agreed to be mostly motivated by are visits of medical representatives and drug samples while sales calls made by pharmaceutical companies are the less influential tool. Regarding gift acceptance, this study demonstrated that physicians consider gifts' acceptance as a non-ethical practice. Results showed that most physicians use free samples to treat their patients.We demonstrated that there is a relationship between physicians' prescribing pattern and their age, gender and the location of practice.ConclusionsFindings of this study provided an insightful work, serving as one of the first humble steps in the imminent direction of merging this paper with the previous literature. From a managerial perspective, pharmaceutical marketing managers of drug companies can use the research findings to design better their strategies directed to the Lebanese physicians who can also benefit from the results obtained.