Neil Berliner, MD

An issue that virtually all physicians face on a daily basis is the problems caused by the excess weight/obesity of many patients. If we could somehow conquer this epidemic and also convince people to stop using tobacco, we would dramatically increase life expectancy, save an enormous amount of money and give us doctors some well-deserved free time!

A few years ago, PhRMA decided to "self-police" and did away with all the social and/or ticketed events that pharmaceutical reps used to take doctors to. Gone were the ballgames, concerts, golf outings, Broadway shows, wine tastings, circuses, and yes, even complimentary car washes.

Physicians are a heterogeneous group with widely varying interests and aspirations. Many also have ancillary careers, which sometimes become full-time pursuits. Bradford Frank, MD, is one such doctor turned entrepreneur. He created thedoctorzone.com as a resource devoted to the needs and interests of other physician entrepreneurs.

Last month's column reviewed studies that examined physician errors, and how and why they are (or are not) reported. This month, I'll further examine patients' attitudes and feelings on this topic, as well as what pharmaceutical representatives can do to help improve this situation.

Physicians, like other human beings, sometimes make mistakes. Purely based on the number of decisions they need to make, doctors actually make more mistakes than most people.

In addition to the misspelling of medications, which can lead to patients getting the wrong drugs, there are many things that can go wrong when it comes to prescriptions: among them, the misinterpretation of instructions, theft and forgery. It almost seems sometimes that writing a prescription can actually have more negative than positive consequences for the patient. How can we better accentuate the positive?

The symbol Rx is an abbreviation for "recipe," the Latin for "take thou." It is estimated that 3 billion prescriptions were written in the United States in 2002, a number that increases every year.

Behind the counter" (BTC) is a category of medications that would not be prescribed but would be distributed by pharmacists only after they inform consumers of the risks and benefits of each particular medication. These drugs literally would be kept behind the counter. Now that the FDA is considering adding this category, many entities have been registering their often-still-evolving opinions on this controversial topic.