Med Students, Branding and Tchotchkes
The authors of a study in the May 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine find that "subtle exposures to branded pharmaceutical promotional items influences implicit attitudes of medical students toward pharmaceutical brands."
The randomized controlled experiment included 352 third- and fourth-year students at the medical schools at Penn and the University of Miami. Students in the treatment arm were exposed to small branded promotional items for Lipitor without knowing that the exposure was part of the study.
[A]mong fourth-year medical students there were significant effects at both schools in our study. Students at Miami responded as we hypothesized, shifting their preferences in the direction of the branding exposure (ie, Lipitor). However, students at Penn had a boomerang response, ie, a behavioral response opposite of the implied marketing intent.
The two schools have differing policies about pharmaceutical marketing. Like most medical schools, Miami has no on-campus pharmaceutical company marketing restrictions, while Penn policy prohibits most gifts, meals and samples.
If you're one of the prescribers who says that pens and other branded giveaways have no influence on you, here is more evidence suggesting that you're not as immune to the psychology of persuasion as you might think.
(Of course, the revised voluntary PhRMA Code has ended drug-company branded gimcracks and geegaws, anyway. As of Jan. 1, 2009, PhRMA members no longer may distribute any branded promotional items, either in office visits or at medical conferences.)
Link to Archives article
Link to PhRMA Code