Pharmaceutical company consultant Carla Duryee, who is based in North Carolina, offers perspective on why this dilemma continues to exist. In her opinion, it’s a financial and bureaucratic issue. The companies started out using doctor. To change the terms, they have to get approval from the FDA (a long process), and it would cost a lot to change all of the ad materials. Duryee feels upbeat, however. She believes the industry will eventually change the language.
Positive Change
PA and NP groups say their ultimate goal is to persuade all of the pharmaceutical companies to adopt provider-neutral terms, such as provider, health care professional, or prescriber, across the board in all of their advertising materials.
That is a fine goal, Goolsby says. But it will require finesse and patience. “We have a lot of partners in the pharmaceutical industry, and we need to keep working with them,” she relates. “We don’t expect things are going to change overnight, so we keep at it.”
Change will come, Duryee predicts, and it will be good for NPs and PAs. “The positive impact to PAs and NPs would be, I believe, better relationships with the pharma industry, solidifying their place in the medical community, and a positive perception of their profession with patients,” she adds.