How are doctors supposed to keep updated about new medicines without reps?
A. There is no longer any reason (excuse?) for providers to rely on promotional sources–which are likely to be biased–for information. While many reps may be knowledgeable about their products, they get paid for selling, not educating, and get rewarded when their products are prescribed, not when they are prescribed appropriately. There now exist (see Sources of Drug Information) many non-promotional and less biased sources of information that the proverbial busy provider can access via computer or PDA in a matter of seconds. It is true, that these sources do not come with free lunch, but physicians may just have to get used to the idea of paying for their own lunch.
