Influence of Medical Representatives on Prescribing Practices in Tripoli

Abstract

Background and objectives. Medical representatives (MRs) have an impact in the medical community in terms of their promotion of medical products. The pattern of choosing to prescribe drugs by doctors may be affected according to the extent to which the representative is convinced the doctor which eventually influence physicians’ prescribing decisions and choice of drugs. The current study aimed to assess the influence of medical representatives on prescribing practice of physicians in health facilities in Tripoli, Libya. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period from Jan to April 2021, targeting different physicians in a number of public hospitals and private clinics in Tripoli. Data were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results. Out of 135 distributed questionnaires, 122 were filled completely giving a response rate of 90.3%. About 36.3% of the respondents were males and 67.2% of them were within the age group of 30–40. The majority of physicians reported that the most common category of drug information was from the internet 78.7%, followed by medical representatives 60.6%, and medical journals 32.8%. The most effective reminder was a product sample (52.5%), leaflet (47.5%), a frequent visit (29.5%), a gift with a corporate logo (27.3%), medical representatives' acceptance of trustworthiness (16.4%), brochures (14.8%), and other approaches (23%). Furthermore, about 73.8 % of physicians were prescribing medications for their patients based on drug company. Conclusion. The outcomes of this study gave insight into prospective target areas for Libyan drug policymakers and regulatory agencies, and to develop a comprehensive guideline for MR interaction with health care professionals, as well as enforcement measures.