Direct-to-consumer-advertising (DTCA) of prescription pharmaceuticals and consumer and physician perceptions

There is a problem in the healthcare industry involving the influence direct-to-consumer advertised (DTCA) prescription drugs is exerting over consumers. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge regarding advertisements for drug therapies and consumer understanding of the effectiveness and safety of these pharmaceuticals. Using both psychological and marketing theories, the following three research questions were investigated in this study: What is the possible impact of DTCA prescription drugs on the consumer's perception of the safety of these drugs? What is the relationship between celebrity endorsements and consumer usage of DTCA pharmaceuticals? What have patients experienced when asking a doctor about using a particular drug promoted via DTCA? Data collection one-on-one interview. Data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman approach of transcendental realism. The results of this study indicated an overall positive relationship between the influence of DTCA of prescription pharmaceuticals and consumer understanding of the effectiveness and safety of these pharmaceuticals. Sixty-seven percent of the consumer participants returned positive feedback regarding celebrity endorsements of DTCA prescription pharmaceuticals. They also generally had positive attitudes about DTCA. Eighty percent of the responding physician participants replied favorably when asked how they responded to patient requests for DTCA therapies.