Direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads get poor grades for educating...( t the condition's causes or risk factor...),Health

"These ads are designed to encourage patients to request the advertised drugs from physicians," Dr. Kravitz says. "That can have three outcomes. The patient can request the drug, and the drug can be appropriate, in which case the outcome is good. The patient can request an inappropriate drug, and the doctor can acquiesce and prescribe it, which could cause the patient's health to suffer. Or the patient can request an inappropriate drug, the doctor can refuse to prescribe it, and the patient and doctor can get locked in an argument that imperils the doctor-patient relationship."

In their article, the authors offer suggestions for physicians in dealing with patient requests. The article recommends that physicians keep on hand informational materials produced by such organizations as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians. Then, when a patient asks about an advertised drug, the physician can provide a handout, saying, "This information is produced by the best experts in the field and provides a more balanced view than what you will find in profit-motivated advertisements," the authors suggest.

If the pharmaceutical industry does improve the educational content of its prescription drug ads, further research will be needed to assess the impact of that change on physician-patient interactions, the authors say.

Among the questions to be asked: Do educational promotions increase demands by patients for drugs that are not medically indicated, requiring time-consuming re
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