Mixed outcomes of academic pharmaceutical detailing in rural general practice

Prescribed drugs: A major cause of ill health

“…Most doctors welcome the opportunity to discuss medical matters with colleagues, but may be less welcoming to health department officials or pharmacists. Visiting by pharmacists has been shown to alter prescribing habits (Avorn & Soumerai 1983;Landgren et al 1988;De Santis et al 1994;Watson et al 1997), although the results have not been spectacular -reductions in drug expenditure covered the costs of the programs. 'The ideal prescribing visitor is a former general practitioner who has made pharmacology and therapeutics a second career' (McGavock 1998).…”