Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30541819›Full record

ArticleCanadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien2018

Drug samples in family medicine teaching units: a cross-sectional descriptive study: Part 1: drug sample management policies and the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and residents in Quebec.

Caroline Rhéaume, Michel Labrecque, Nadine Moisan, Jacky Rioux, Émilie Tardieux, Fatoumata Binta Diallo, Marie-Thérèse Lussier, Andréa Lessard, Roland Grad, Pierre Pluye

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Reflective practice.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2018
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 8 institutions in 2 countries.

Caroline RhéaumeClinical researcher in the Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec and in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Laval University in Quebec.
Michel LabrecqueProfessor Emeritus in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Laval University.
Nadine MoisanPharmacist, a clinical teacher, and Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Laval University.
Jacky RiouxResearch assistant in the Department of Family Medicine Emergency Medicine at Laval University at the time of the study.
Émilie TardieuxResearch assistant in the Department of Family Medicine Emergency Medicine at Laval University at the time of the study.
Fatoumata Binta DialloResearch coordinator in the Équipe de recherche en soins de première ligne of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Laval and at the Cité de la Santé Family Medicine Teaching Unit. fabinta2@gmail.com.
Marie-Thérèse LussierFull Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Montreal in Quebec, a member of the Équipe de recherche en soins de première ligne du Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Laval, Director of the University of Montreal Primary Care Research Network, Regional Network Director for the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network in Quebec, and a teacher and practising physician at the Cité de la Santé Family Medicine Teaching Unit.
Andréa LessardClinical scientist in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec and at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec.
Roland GradFamily physician in the Herzl Family Practice Centre in Montreal and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University.
Pierre PluyeAssociate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University.
McGill University Health Centre · CANew York Times · USAmerican Pharmacists Association · USCentre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation · CACentre Integre de Sante et de Services Sociaux de Laval · CAInstitut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec · CAUniversité de Sherbrooke · CAUniversité Laval · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine the existence and the level of health care professional (HCP) knowledge of local policies regarding drug sample use and the relationship between residents and the pharmaceutical industry in academic primary health care settings.

designDescriptive cross-sectional survey. Health care providers were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire on drug sample use between February and December 2013. Managers of drug samples were also asked to complete a specific questionnaire on drug sample management and policies and an inventory log sheet. Data about the existence of written policies were validated with health and social services centre (HSCC) directors or pharmacy departments and family medicine teaching unit (FMTU) directors between February and June 2014.

settingAll 42 FMTUs in Quebec.

participantsAll HCPs in the FMTUs authorized to hand out drug samples (practising physicians, residents, pharmacists, and nurses).

main outcome measuresExistence of written policies on drug sample use in HSCCs and FMTUs; whether FMTUs applied the HSCC policies if they existed; whether dispensers were aware of the existence of the policies; and whether policies on the relationships between residents and pharmaceutical companies existed.

resultsAmong the 42 FMTUs, 33 (79%) kept drug samples. Of these, 30% (10 of 33) did not have policies about drug samples in the FMTU or in the HSCC. A total of 67% (579 of 859) of HCPs from these FMTUs reported using drug samples. Most dispensers did not know if a policy existed in their FMTU (n = 297; 51%) or their HSCC (n = 420; 73%). Eleven (26%) of the 42 FMTU directors reported having a policy regarding relationships between residents and the pharmaceutical industry. Most drug sample dispensers were not aware whether such a policy existed (n = 310; 54%).

conclusionMany FMTUs did not have policies regarding drug samples or relationships between residents and the pharmaceutical industry. Variation in use and management of drug samples and the lack of knowledge of HCPs about the existence of policies point to the need to implement uniform policies in all FMTUs in Quebec.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeInternship and ResidencyCross-Sectional StudiesDrug IndustryDrug UtilizationFamily PracticeHumansOrganizational PolicyQuebecSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID30541819
PMCPMC6371883
OpenAlexW2908691240

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.