BACKGROUND: Since the advent of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising in the 1980s, there have been numerous studies and surveys on the topic, addressing issues as varied as its impact on patient understanding of health conditions to its repercussions for drug spending. However, until 2001, there was a dearth of research on DTC advertising's impact on minority populations, specifically the African-American community. The National Medical Association (NMA) remedied that in 2001 by undertaking a landmark study that gauged African-American physicians' perceptions of DTC advertising, its impact on the doctor-patient relationship and, perhaps most importantly, its role in educating underserved populations about critical health issues and potential treatments. In 2006, the NMA decided to once again poll its members on this critical issue to gauge not only current perceptions but how the community's understanding of DTC advertising has changed since 2001. RESULTS: The 2006 survey revealed several clear trends: NMA physicians are more positive toward DTC advertising now than they were in 2001; African-American physicians see DTC advertising as providing substantial educational benefits; physicians believe that DTC advertising helps rather than hurts the doctor-patient relationship; and African-American physicians see the benefits of DTC advertising outweighing its drawbacks. It must be noted that NMA physicians also had clear concerns about DTC advertising that point to potential areas of improvement for pharmaceutical companies.
BACKGROUND: Since the advent of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising in the 1980s, there have been numerous studies and surveys on the topic, addressing issues as varied as its impact on patient understanding of health conditions to its repercussions for drug spending. However, until 2001, there was a dearth of research on DTC advertising's impact on minority populations, specifically the African-American community. The National Medical Association (NMA) remedied that in 2001 by undertaking a landmark study that gauged African-American physicians' perceptions of DTC advertising, its impact on the doctor-patient relationship and, perhaps most importantly, its role in educating underserved populations about critical health issues and potential treatments. In 2006, the NMA decided to once again poll its members on this critical issue to gauge not only current perceptions but how the community's understanding of DTC advertising has changed since 2001. RESULTS: The 2006 survey revealed several clear trends: NMA physicians are more positive toward DTC advertising now than they were in 2001; African-American physicians see DTC advertising as providing substantial educational benefits; physicians believe that DTC advertising helps rather than hurts the doctor-patient relationship; and African-American physicians see the benefits of DTC advertising outweighing its drawbacks. It must be noted that NMA physicians also had clear concerns about DTC advertising that point to potential areas of improvement for pharmaceutical companies.