Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs in Canada: Its Potential Effect on Patient-Physician Interaction

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study attempted to determine the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs on the patient-physician relationship in the Canadian population. Specifically, researchers sought to discover how DTCA influences the way patients view their physicians in terms of trustworthiness and scientific knowledge, patients' comfort with the physician, patients' overall confidence in the physician, and patients' likelihood to seek out additional information. Results of a telephone survey of 165 English-speaking Canadians are reported.