Effect of legislative changes in drug promotion on medical students: questionnaire survey.

Objective: The aim of this follow-up study was to examine whether the legislative changes that took place in Finland in 2004 had an impact on the interactions between pharmaceutical companies and medical students. According to a previous survey, information provided by pharmaceutical companies represented one of the most important sources of information on pharmaceutical products for medical students and students frequently attended promotional events.

Methods: The authors collected the survey data using questionnaires distributed to medical students in Finland's five medical departments in spring 2005. A total of 1523 students (44% of all medical students in Finland) responded to the questionnaire. Results were compared with the findings of a previous study conducted in 2000.

Results: We found a dramatic drop in how often students attended promotions given by pharmaceutical company representatives (PCRs), with 17% versus 68% of students in the clinical phase of study attending at least twice a month (P < 0.001). Other educational events organised by pharmaceutical companies were attended by 3% versus 22% of clinical students (P < 0.001). In addition, presentations by PCRs and industry-sponsored educational events were not regarded as such important sources of information as they had been earlier and the perceived influence of promotion on future prescribing habits had decreased (12% versus 25% indicated that promotion influences prescribing; P < 0.001). Almost two-thirds of the students indicated that basic medical education should provide them with more efficient tools for critical assessment of the claims made by pharmaceutical marketing departments.

Conclusions: Legislative reform has decreased the amount of contact between the pharmaceutical industry and medical students and diminished the role of industry-sponsored promotion as a source of information on pharmaceutical products.