Activity analysis of pharmaceutical companies representatives in the approach of pharmacist

The aim of the research is to analyse a view of pharmacists towards the activity of representatives of pharmaceutical companies and offer recommendations for the improvement of their cooperation. Research methodology. Pharmacists of Klaipėda city were surveyed from April to December, 2011. 172 questionnaires were distributed, 142 of them were responded (response rate is 83,5 percent). Questionnaire data were analysed using statistical data analysis program SPSS.170.0. Chi-squared (x2) criterion was used to test the independence of two variables. A nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis criterion was used in order to compare the distributions of some independent samples. The results. Usually the pharmacists receive the necessary information about pharmaceuticals during individual visits. This way is defined by the pharmacists as the most effective. Conferences and presentations of pharmaceutical companies’ representatives are valued less. The pharmacists usually don’t know the profession of the representatives. The respondents, who know it, mostly mention the profession of a pharmacist or a doctor. Most pharmacists would prefer the representatives who are the pharmacists. Although the pharmacists don‘t notice the differences of competence between the representatives with different kinds of professions, but it was pointed out that the doctors are the most competent in providing the information. Most respondents trust in the information of the representative who has a pharmaceutical education. Most of the pharmacists appreciate just a business communication with the representatives of pharmaceutical companies. In their opinion, the most important criteria of the communication with the representatives are: the ability to systematize the information, communicativeness, business-like manner. Comparing the opinions of men and women, it was revealed that the men tend to make more discussion and appreciate the positivity more than the women while communicating with the representative. Comparing different age groups, it was revealed that the openness is very important among younger respondents. Other answers of the respondents of different age and gender groups haven‘t distinguished statistically meaningfully. The conclusions. Most of the pharmacists receive the necessary information about pharmaceuticals during individual visits of pharmaceutical companies’ representatives. The pharmacists usually don’t know the profession of the representatives. The business-like manner of the representative is very important in the communication with the pharmacists. The ability to systematize the information is the most necessary feature of the pharmaceutical companies’ representatives