The clinical triage assistant A new member of the dermatology health care team
Dermatology
Straka B T; Wiser T H; Feldman S R; Helms S E; Mostow E; Brodell R T
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
2010
2010-12
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2010.01.034" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jaad.2010.01.034</a>
Physicians' and patients' perspectives on office-based dispensing - The central role of the physician-patient relationship
Dermatology
Objective: To describe physicians' and patients' reasons for participating in office-based sales of dermatologic products. Design: Survey data on the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of dermatologists and their patients were analyzed. Setting: A market research study of office-based selling. Participants: Thirty dermatologists involved in direct selling from the office, 20 dermatologists not involved in direct selling, 22 patients who purchase products from their dermatologists' offices, and 25 office managers. Main Outcome Measure: The hypotheses of this study were formulated after the market research study had been done. The main outcome measure was the physicians' and patients' reported reasons for patients purchasing skin care products from dermatologists rather than from retail stores. Results: "Trust" was the most frequent reason cited by physicians for patient purchases, while "physician knowledge" was the most frequent reason cited by the purchasing patients. The most common location to display the products was the waiting room (20 [67%] of the physicians). The most common types of products sold included glycolic acid products (15 [50%]), moisturizers (13 [43%]), sunscreens (12 [40%]), and alpha -hydroxy acid products other than glycolic acid (9 [30%]). Conclusion: The interaction between physicians who sell products in their offices and their patients is highlighted by 2 key elements of the physician-patient relationship: trust and physician knowledge.
Ogbogu P; Fleischer A B; Brodell R T; Bhalla G; Draelos Z D; Feldman S R
Archives of Dermatology
2001
2001-02
Journal Article
n/a
Drug samples in dermatology: Special considerations and recommendations for the future
adherence; behavior; Dermatology; drugs; industry; medication samples; patient; pharmaceuticals; physicians; prescription; recipients; safety; samples; sampling; trial; united-states
Background: The use of drug samples is a controversial issue in medicine. Objective: We sought to determine the pros and cons of drug sampling, and how drug sampling in general medicine differs from dermatology. Methods: Literature searches were conducted on PubMed, Google, and Yahoo!. Articles were found pertaining to drug sampling in general, and for dermatology specifically. Results: Numerous pros and cons for drug sampling were found in the literature search. We divided these by cost-related issues, such as the industry-wide cost of sampling and the use of sampling to assist the underinsured and poor, and quality of care issues, such as adherence, patient education, and safety considerations. Articles also suggested that dermatology may differ from general medicine as topical treatments have fewer side effects, are more complicated to use, and come in different vehicles. Limitations: We identified few studies specifically focused on issues relevant to sampling in dermatology. Conclusion: There are strong arguments for and against drug sampling involving both cost and quality of care issues. Dermatology-specific medications clearly differ from oral medications in several regards. We ultimately conclude that the benefits of drug sampling outweigh the risks, but give recommendations on how drug sampling can be done ethically and effectively, including limiting personal use, not selling samples, properly documenting sample release, teaching patients about proper use, teaching students and residents ethical use of samples, working with pharmaceutical representatives in an ethical manner, prescribing the drug that is best for the patient, and securing samples appropriately to prevent theft and misuse. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;62;1053-61.)
Alikhan A; Sockolov M; Brodell R T; Feldman S R
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
2010
2010-06
Journal Article or Conference Abstract Publication
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2009.07.053" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jaad.2009.07.053</a>