Japanese practicing physicians' relationships with pharmaceutical representatives: a national survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous surveys on the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical representatives (PRs) have been of limited quality. The purpose of our survey of practicing physicians in Japan was to assess the extent of their involvement in pharmaceutical promotional activities, physician characteristics that predict such involvement, attitudes toward relationships with PRs, correlations between the extent of involvement and attitudes, and differences in the extent of involvement according to self-reported prescribing behaviors.

Methods and findings

From January to March 2008, we conducted a national survey of 2621 practicing physicians in seven specialties: internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, psychiatry, and ophth

SUBMITTER: Saito S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2921334 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature