Nail fungus and others: these ads annoy doctors

Advertisements that end with “talk to your doctor” unnecessarily clog doctors’ offices. A general practitioner claims to have had to answer questions about nail fungus “every day” during the advertising campaign, even though it is a relatively benign problem.

“There are people who showed me their toenails when they had heart problems. At some point, it might be better to take care of your heart than your toenail!” says the D^r Pierre Martin, first vice-president of the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec.

Especially since it is essentially an aesthetic problem when less than 50% of the nail is affected and the infection is not present elsewhere. “In the memory of a doctor, there is not a family that has been decimated in Quebec by mucormycosis,” says D.^r Martin.

Although its presence may require verification, this fungus “is not as dramatic a problem as advertised.”

Like in the USA

The proliferation of drug advertisements is a relatively new phenomenon in Quebec and the FMOQ fears that the Quebec market will follow the American trend, where “talk to your doctor” type messages flood prime time television.

Worse, Quebec law prohibits communicating both the name and effects of a medication. Manufacturers therefore often opt to publicize only the brand, leaving it to doctors to explain its usefulness.

Unnecessary conversations

For example, these days, advertisements tout the drug Rybelsus, without ever saying that it is a product to combat diabetes.

D^r Martin explains that he must answer questions on the subject in his Trois-Rivières office, even if the patient does not suffer from this disease.

And it’s not necessarily the first medication he would recommend to someone with diabetes.

“As we know that it is for a very limited niche of patients, sometimes we will not even offer it. We will spare ourselves unnecessary conversations around something that is not even an option,” he explains.

Same issue with the drug Contrave, intended for weight loss. D^r Martin prefers to first suggest lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery.

But patients arrive at the clinic with a ready-made idea, even if the medication “costs $325 per month” for a weight loss of around four kilograms over 12 months.

“After a year of use, you lost four kilos and it cost you $3,900,” emphasizes D^r Martin.

Change the law

While Quebec studies a bill to reduce doctors’ paperwork, D^r Pierre Martin believes that the opportunity would be good to include a ban on drug advertisements.

This would free up time in the office, which is the objective of the reform led by Jean Boulet.

At the same time, the FMOQ offers to facilitate the cancellation of appointments via the GAP or the RVSQ, to avoid the famous “no shows” in the office. Automated reminders should also be put in place, to prevent a patient from forgetting to show up for their appointment, says the union federation.

“We absolutely must work with the ministry to stop this scourge. Last year, there were 162,000 appointments [manqués] which have been reported to us. These are appointments available now,” recently declared the president of the FMOQ, D^r Marc-André Amyot, in parliamentary committee.