INTERACTIONS OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS (GPs) WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY: ITS IMPACT ON CLINICAL PRACTICE AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OF GPs -

Objective: To evaluate the interactions of General Practitioners with the pharmaceutical industry and to assess the opinions and practice patterns of General Practitioners on acceptance and use of free drug samples and other incentive items from pharmaceutical representatives. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in June 2014 among General Practitioners practicing in various areas of Karachi. Total 222 General Practitioners were included by simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through structured, pretested and self-administered questionnaire after taking formal consent. Data was entered on SPSS version 20. Results: Total 222 General Practitioners were included in the study with mean age of 48.2+ 8.2 years, of which 69.4% were males and 30.6% were females. All the General Practitioners were affirmative that they were visited by pharmaceutical representatives of which 60.4% said they were visited by both local and multinational companies. Thirty six percent said that the visit was scheduled fortnightly. All doctors were in favor of role of pharmaceutical companies in the field of health and medicine and they were agreed that this interaction with pharmaceutical companies is helpful in their professional growth. Of all doctors 58.6% said that their prescription practices were based on brand effectiveness however 32.4% said they prescribed medicines depending on the personal benefit provided by the company. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a strong role of pharmaceutical companies in the clinical practices of General Practitioners. It would be recommended to make these practices ethical with proper health policies.