Deceptive Inquiries Made to Drug Information Departments
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0092-8615/2002 Copyright 0 2002 Drug Information Association Inc.
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
DECEPTIVE INQUIRIES MADE TO DRUG INFORMATION DEPARTMENTS CHARLES F.CURRAN,PHD Director, Professional Affairs, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
Acute concern is created among drug information department staff in pharmaceutical firms whenever calls are received from individuals who seem deceitful. This paper lists some of the identifying characteristics of these calls, discusses the hazards involved in responding to these callers, and differentiates these calls from those by health care professionals who received disinformation. Measures are suggested to minimize the impact of deceptive callers. Key Words: Drug information; Drug inquiries; Deception
INTRODUCTION “Nobody speaks the truth when there’s something they must have.” Elizabeth Bowen, The House in Paris (1) IN MOST DRUG information departments of pharmaceutical companies, the vast majority of inquiry calls are relatively brief and mutually professional in tone. High levels of focus and organization are exhibited by both the caller and the recipient of the inquiry. Usually, limited and well-defined information is requested and can be quickly provided. Verbal responses alone are sufficient in responding to most inquiries unless copies of published reports are requested or a literature search is necessary. One satisfymg element of responding to inquiries is that most can be handled rapidly, decisively, and authoritatively, and it is usually clear whether the information provided is sufficient. However, certain calls are unsettling to the recipient in that some aspect of the call does not ring true, as it
Reprint address: Charles F. Curran, PhD, Forest Pbarmaceuticals, Inc., 13600 Shoreline Drive, St. Louis, MO 63045.
becomes clear that the inquirer is engaging in direct misrepresentation of professional credentials or status or is engaging in some other deception. This activity can often be unsettling to the person who receives the inquiry. This paper examines the nature of such inquiries, identifies some of the underlying motives, and suggests how these inquiries can be handled.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DECEPTIVE CALLER Inquiries are cause for concern whenever they possess one or more of the following attributes: The caller identifies himself as a specific type of health care professional but uses inappropriate vocabulary or mispronounces terms, The caller appears ignorant of the most basic principles that characterize the person the caller is portraying, such as a caller claiming to be an oncologist who clearly does not understand fundamental principles of tumor progression, @Thecaller seems extremely vague about
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hisher identity out of proportion to the nature of the question, The caller appears to have an axe to grind, The caller calls repeatedly, as if shopping for a response the caller judges acceptable, or asks leading questions or inquires in a manner appearing to seek out a particular response, The caller continues
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