The Effects of Direct-to-Consumer-Advertising on Patients in a Northern Canadian Community: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background:

Previous studies have investigated the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medication in the United States and in a large Canadian centre close to the US border. This study examined how DTCA affects patients in a smaller, more remote Canadian community.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey of patients ≥18 years was conducted in 8 primary care practices in Prince George, BC. Main outcome measures were past and present requests for advertised and non-advertised prescription medications.

Results:

Of 435 eligible patients, 217 (49.8%) agreed to be surveyed; 209 questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Patients with high exposure to DTCA were significantly more likely to be under the age of 50 (p = 0.016). A total of 1.6% of patients with high DTCA exposure versus 0% with low exposure requested advertised medications during the study (p = 0.26), and 4.8% versus 0%, respectively, had requested advertised medications in the past (p = 0.052). The percentage of patients requesting any prescription medication, advertised or non-advertised, was 10.2% in the high DTCA exposure group, compared to 4.9% in the low exposure group. (OR = 2.18, 95% CI 0.69-6.93).

Discussion:

The rate of requests for advertised prescription medications in this northern Canadian community was lower than rates reported from larger, less-remote centres. However, exposure to DTCA remained surprisingly high, especially in younger patients. Results suggest that patients with higher self-reported exposure to DTCA may be more likely to request both advertised and non-advertised prescription medications.

Conclusions:

All health care professionals with a prescribing role should be aware of the potential impact of DTCA and ensure that patients are receiving objective, evidence-based information that will enable them to make fully informed decisions.