Personal Use of Drug Samples by Physicians and Office Staff
August 30, 1997 less than 1 minute read
Personal Use of Drug Samples by Physicians and Office Staff
The personal use by physicians and their office staff of samples provided by the pharmaceutical industry has not been well studied. This report details results of a 16-item questionnaire returned by 53 of 55 potential respondents. All respondents had access to an office drug sample supply.
More than 96% of respondents had taken samples in the previous year. Samples were taken in amounts ranging from a single dose up to greater than one month in duration (e.g., oral contraceptives).
The authors express concern about personal use of sample medications, especially in training settings, postulating that availability of samples in the training setting may encourage the habit in resident physicians that they prescribe based upon what samples are available, rather than which medication is best indicated.
Westfall J. JAMA 1997;278:141-143.
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