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Australian Prescriber Vol. 23 No. 3 2000

Pharmaceutical advertising in clinical software

More doctors are using computers to help them write prescriptions. The computer can check that the doctor is not prescribing medicines which cannot be taken together. It also prints a prescription which is easy to read.

Some of the computer programs which are used to write prescriptions are sponsored by drug companies. Adverts may appear on the screen when the doctor is consulting. The patient may also be able to see these adverts.

It is important that doctors are not influenced by adverts when they prescribe a medicine. Therefore guidelines for appropriate advertising with computer programs are required, but are yet to be developed.