Formula reps make headway with those professionals in-house who are not
strongly pro-breastfeeding. Formula reps do more for docs than for nurses,
such as ski vacations, etc, but their donuts and their candy and their pens
and water bottles are still influential and buy them loyalty. These gifts
form relationships, and comradery, which then helps them gain market share
and brand recognition from nurses, and then from mothers who have received
advice from health care professionals to use said product.
Don't for one second believe that there is nothing to be gained by wooing
hospital staff. If they didn't gain from it, they wouldn't spend another
second (or dollar) on it. Huge lunches in-office from drug companies to
oncologists are a related and effective technique to snare loyalties.
An interesting read is the "No Free Lunch" website, at www.nofreelunch.org.
A quote that pertains:
" Q. Iım not influenced by all these gifts anyway, so whatıs the problem?
A. Doctors, like everyone else, are influenced by promotion. Though there
have been no randomized trials, there have been plenty of observational
studies, and all of them have reached a similar conclusion (see Wazana):
Doctors' prescribing behavior as well as other behaviors (for example,
requests to the hospital formulary) are influenced by promotions and
interactions with reps. Doctors who practice on the basis of promotion, meet
with reps, and use information provided by them are more likely to prescribe
more expensive, inappropriate medication. Though the possibility of
publication bias exists, no study has shown that practicing on the basis of
promotion leads to more cost-effective prescribing. And while no study has
looked at the influence of gifts, or small gifts, per se, it is reasonable
to extrapolate the vast social science literature on gifts (see below) to
physicians. Though many physicians may believe otherwise, there is no reason
to think that they are immune."
Kathleen
Kathleen Bruce RN IBCLC
Independent consultant:
Lactation Resources of Vermont, Medela, Inc. Listowner Lactnet listserv
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