Analysis of the Relationship of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Patients Seeking Ambulatory Care

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine if relationships existed between the amount of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) expenditure and the monthly frequencies of ambulatory care visits for symptoms and conditions associated with conditions treated by the products advertised. The analyses used quasi-experimental time series techniques. Data from the National Ambulatory Care Survey and Competitive Media Resources were used to calculate monthly levels of the dependent and independent variables. The dependent variables were monthly frequency of visits for symptoms related to the condition treated by the pharmaceutical class and the monthly frequency of visits for specific conditions related to the pharmaceutical class. The independent variable was the monthly amount of advertising expenditure for the pharmaceutical class. A significant relationship was found between anti-histamine advertising expenditure and monthly visits for allergy symptoms (p < 0.001), but not monthly visits specifically for allergies. No significant results were found for the three other condition categories analyzed (hypertension, acid/peptic disorders, benign prostatic hypertrophy). These results suggest DTCA expenditure may be linked to patients seeking care for certain disease states.