The future of independent scientific information? The personalization of the contents based on the greater or lesser "sensitivity" of the doctor for an appropriate prescription, also in economic terms. Andrea Messori, vice president of Sifo (Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacy) is convinced of this: among the topics of debate at the national congress of the scientific society, hosted in Cagliari last week, there was also information from "public" sources, the one ensured by hospital pharmacists. "The goal" Messori explains "is to provide doctors with scientific studies and articles in which the topic of appropriateness is not separated from that relating to costs". Independent scientific information initiatives are currently underway both at national level and in some regions, such as Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, but they have to deal with an almost chronic lack of funds: «We are getting by with what comes from the contribution of the 5% on promotional expenses of the companies» continues Messori «but we divide it with independent research and therefore we have to make do with what remains. Our competitors, i.e. the industries, instead have much more substantial budgets to support their information». Hence the idea of increasing the quality rather than the quantity of "public" information: "Doctors need this type of update" underlines the vice president of Sifo "because they usually do not receive data relating to the economic weight of a molecule compared to others of the same class or of a particular diagnostic technique. Placing bureaucratic constraints on information from corporate sources, as some regions have done in the past, gives uncertain results. Nor does it make sense to increase independent initiatives, because there is already too much information, regardless of where it comes from. The real challenge is to focus on personalized information». In other words, everyone gets the update they need. «There are doctors» Messori confirms «who prescribe the 95% of generics and others, perhaps in the neighboring country, who do not exceed the 35%. For the former, a feedback confirming the validity of their prescriptive strategy would suffice, while the latter could be provided with intensified information aimed at making them responsible for the economic weight of their choices».
DoctorNews – October 14, 2010
