Implementing and Assessing the Benefits and Feasibility of a “Safe Sampling” Pilot Project

Abstract

Background: “Traditional” medication sampling occurs when pharmaceutical companies promote products by providing free samples to physicians, who then pass these on to patients. Limitations of this type of sampling include no pharmacist involvement, limited documentation on patients' medication profiles, limited inventory control in physicians' offices, and lack of patient-specific labeling. We present an improved method called “safe sampling” to mitigate these limitations. Objective: To implement a safe sampling pilot project and to assess its benefits and feasibility from the perspectives of patients, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical company employees. Methods: Physicians provided rabeprazole vouchers to patients in lieu of samples. Patients redeemed the vouchers at the pharmacy for a complimentary seven-day supply. The pharmacist processed the voucher like a prescription. Patients, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical company employees were surveyed after the intervention. Results: The pharmacy received 59 vouchers, which were redeemed by 43 patients and issued by 7 physicians (September 2004—January 2005). The pharmacy filled all vouchers. Of the 42 patients who completed the questionnaires, up to 95% agreed with the various benefits of safe sampling. All pharmacists ( n = 5) and pharmaceutical company employees ( n = 2) agreed that safe sampling was in the patient's best interest and was feasible to implement. Recommendations to enhance safe sampling included involving more than one pharmacy, dispensing medication from existing pharmacy inventory, using online billing, and determining who will pay for safe sampling. Conclusion: All participants acknowledged the benefits of safe sampling. Survey results suggest that pharmaceutical companies may not be willing to absorb the medication cost and/or professional fee involved in dispensing medication samples through pharmacies. Currently, pharmaceutical companies are paying for sample medications and their packaging and distribution. We suggest transferring these funds to the pharmacist's professional fee and sample medication costs. Our surveys suggest that safe sampling is beneficial to patients and is feasible to implement in community practice once the logistics of reimbursement are addressed. Safe sampling provides the groundwork for the creation of a safer, more sustainable method of medication sampling. Additional studies involving a larger patient population, more complex drugs, and a wider selection of pharmacies are needed to further quantify the benefits of safe sampling.