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Since the ABPI clamped down on freebies from pharmaceutical sales reps, GPs have had to say goodbye to all of those wonderful pens, post-its and promotional paraphernalia.  “I still feel the loss of plastic knick-knack for my kids,” says one of our eVillage GPs…

The best things in life were free

If there’s no prospect of gifts and gadgets and tasty lunches for GPs, will the reps become a dying breed?  As one GP pointed out after attending a recent RCGP conference: “The GPs were happier just socialising amongst themselves. Very few people were engaging with the reps and this seems to be the new state of affairs since they were barred from bringing and providing promotional gadgets for us.”

As CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) are already beginning to advise practices to keep their doors firmly closed, how can reps get to the GPs and more importantly, do the GPs actually want to see them?

“Give them a break, they’re only doing their job!”

We put the question to our eVillage GPs and found a surprising amount of sympathy going out to their reps and a real  appreciation of  their interactions, both on a personal level but also professionally.  “They are given very little respect but still smile and help out. They deserve more credit than we give them.”  Many see it as ‘only polite’ to spare them 5 minutes,  “I see reps because we all have a job to do… I also give way to taxis because getting places is their job.”  Although the information may be biased, some GPs still really appreciate getting exclusive access to new developments and knowledge in the pharmaceutical field and acknowledge that even RCGP conferences and keynote speakers will be sponsored or backed by pharma in some way.

The future is…?

Common courtesies and respect aside, the underlying truth is that GPs do not feel that the educational benefits of such events justify an entry fee and many regretfully see the role of reps diminishing as times goes on.

However, all is perhaps not lost!  GPs are still looking for a way to engage with reps and learn from pharma companies, the key area of opportunity both for listening and communicating according to GPs is undoubtedly online and via e-learning; as one GP says “The use of websites like eVillage will become the method of choice for ‘BigPharma’ to keep in touch with doctors.”  As our personal and social interactions swing more and more towards online, it makes sense for pharma to follow suit; albeit cautiously navigating through the legal and ethical minefield that surrounds it.  Of course, all of this will take time and some getting used to and we will never be able to replicate relationships built up face-to-face but the connections and potential to build up relationships online is, in my mind, much greater than any post-it note could ever offer.

See related article in PharmaTimes: "Medical leaders back ABPI ban on promotional gifts"