ABSTRACT
The purpose of this exploratory study was to survey pharmacists' attitudes toward product-specific television advertising of prescription drugs. A survey was mailed to 320 Lucas County, Ohio, pharmacists. A total of 159 (49.7%) responses were received. Frequency distributions were performed to determine the extent of agreement or disagreement of these pharmacists with various issues concerning such advertising. Forty-two percent of respondent pharmacists either strongly disagreed or disagreed that advertising prescription (Rx) drugs on television would be beneficial to the consumer. Also, more than one-half of the pharmacists considered television to be an unsuitable medium for providing balanced information about Rx drugs. However, 75% of the pharmacists agreed that such advertising may inform patients about available treatments, while 32% agreed it may lead to improved patient-pharmacist contact. Ninety percent of the pharmacists agreed with the idea of having a prior review of such advertisements by an independent panel of health care providers. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation identified four factors that measured various dimensions of such advertising. Multiple regressions revealed that none of the demographic variables were found to be significant predictors of pharmacists' attitudes toward television advertising of Rx drugs. The results provide an insight into the effect of such advertising on physicians, pharmacists, and consumers.
