Introduction- 3

Debate continues over the perceived value of DTC advertising. Consumers today can access drug information from radio and television, popular magazines and newspapers, and the scientific literature via electronic search engines over the Internet. Undoubtedly, this information age has impacted upon the choices consumers make about health care, and poses new responsibilities for practitioners who must now respond to consumer requests for brand names.
 

Some practitioners feel that DTC advertising is problematic, especially when consumers cannot understand why their requested medication may not be the "best" for their given situation, when previously, practitioners would simply have made the choice for them. Conversely, others feel that DTC advertising is encouraging people to seek health care more often, and for conditions for which they otherwise would not have sought treatment at all.1