THE IMPACT OF PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING STRATEGIES ON PRESCRIBING PRACTICES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN AFGHANISTAN
Keywords:
Afghanistan, Ethical Considerations, Healthcare Professionals, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Prescribing Practices, Pharmaceutical Promotion, Rational Prescribing.Abstract
This study aimed to examine the association between pharmaceutical marketing strategies and prescribing practices among healthcare professionals in Afghanistan. A quantitative cross-sectional design is used, and data are collected through a structured questionnaire which covered pharmaceutical marketing exposure, perceived influence on prescribing, prescribing factors, attitudes, ethical considerations, and marketing-responsive prescribing practices. Data are analyzed through descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, the Shapiro–Wilk test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and robust linear regression. The findings showed that sponsored educational meetings, visits from pharmaceutical representatives, and advertisements in medical related are the most commonly reported marketing strategies, while digital promotions are less common. Clinical effectiveness, previous clinical experience, and clinical guidelines are the most important factors considered when prescribing medicines. Respondents also demonstrated considerable awareness of ethical issues related to gifts, incentives, conflicts of interest, disclosure, and professional judgment. A strong and statistically significant negative association is found between pharmaceutical marketing exposure and marketing-responsive prescribing (ρ = −0.635, p < 0.001). Robust regression confirmed this relationship (B = −0.561, p < 0.001), which remained significant after adjustment for selected sociodemographic and professional characteristics (B = −0.583, p < 0.001). The study concludes that pharmaceutical marketing exposure is significantly associated with prescribing practices, although the relationship is inverse. It is recommended that healthcare institutions strengthen evidence-based prescribing, ethical guidelines, independent medicine information, professional training, transparency, and regulatory oversight of pharmaceutical promotional activities.
