Barely or Fairly Balancing Drug Risks? Content and Format Effects in Direct-to-Consumer Online Prescription Drug Promotions

摘要

A critical requirement of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug promotionon the Internet is the concept of fair balance. This means thatprescription drug Web sites should provide an accurate, balancedportrayal of the risks relative to the benefits of using prescriptionmedications. However, one of the most pervasive findings in con-sumer research is that risk perceptions are often not aligned withthe actual risk a consumer faces. This study examines the impact ofcertain presentation formats and types of risk information providedon a pharmaceutical Web site and the effect on consumers' percep-tions of risk and fair balance. We find evidence of a bias of omission;that is, the risks of treating a health condition using a hypotheticalprescription drug were perceived to be greater than the risk of inaction. Interestingly, we found no evidence that the presentation ofa "black-box" warning or the warning strength affected the broaderconstruct of fair balance.