Abstract
Objective To draw a portrait of drug sample management in academic primary health care settings and assess conformity to existing Canadian guidelines.
Design Descriptive cross-sectional survey.
Setting All 33 family medicine teaching units (FMTUs) in Quebec that kept drug samples.
Participants Health care professionals or FMTU staff who managed drug samples (ie, managers).
Main outcome measures Drug sample managers completed a self-administered questionnaire between February and December 2013. Questionnaires inquired about sample selection, procurement, reception, storage, inventory, and disposal. Results were compared with the Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Code of Ethical Practices (2012) and the Canadian Medical Association Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions with Industry (2007).
Results All 33 FMTUs responded to the questionnaire. According to managers, no FMTUs had written selection criteria to guide sample choice. Almost one-third (30%) of FMTUs had uncontrolled access to drug sample cabinets. Even though pharmaceutical companies must distribute drug samples to authorized professionals only, these professionals were involved in the procurement and the reception of samples in 79% and 56% of FMTUs, respectively. Only 15% of FMTUs kept track of samples distributed, 82% checked expiration dates, and 85% ensured proper disposal as recommended.
Conclusion The management of drug samples in the FMTUs in Quebec is heterogeneous, with many FMTUs and pharmaceutical companies not following Canadian guidelines.
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