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medications problem

by pradeepkaushal9518 » Thu May 27, 2010 4:35 am
Historically, the drug industry promoted its products to physicians by educating them in their offices or at industry conferences. In the last 10 years, it has become much more commonplace for drug companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers, via television advertising and other media. Some public health advocates have become concerned that patients, encouraged by advertising, may pursue the use of prescription drugs that may be inappropriate for the individual patient or situation. However, since physicians must prescribe these medications, there is no reason for such concern.

Which of the following pieces of information would be most helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates?

A. Certain over-the-counter medications are as effective for many common medical conditions as more powerful nonprescription medications.
B. Prescription medication television advertisements directed at the general public only appear on certain programs and are not seen by many potential consumers.
C. Physicians are also subject to prescription drug advertisements that are directed toward consumers.
D. Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions.
E. Prescription medicines have been proven to be safe and effective treatments for many patient conditions.
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by Gyan » Thu May 27, 2010 5:15 am
D is the answer as if Physicians can be pressurised by consumers(who are influenced by advertising), then public health advocates concern gets strengthened.

Premise:-
"¢ Earlier-Drug industry promoted products only to physician.
"¢ Now-Drug industries promote Prescription Drugs directly to consumers.
"¢ Some Health advocates are concerned that Patients may take Prescription Drugs -which may be inappropriate for their health.

Conclusion:-
There is no concern as Physicians must prescribe these Prescription Drug before consumers go and buy over the counter.

Assumption:-
Physicians review the patient conditions and also different products that are available and advise patient the one which suits patients health. Physicians are not influenced by Patients for issue of prescription drugs.
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by Gyan » Thu May 27, 2010 5:57 pm
can you let know the correct answer
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by paes » Thu May 27, 2010 9:12 pm
IMO D
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by pradeepkaushal9518 » Thu May 27, 2010 10:20 pm
oa is D
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by akhpad » Fri Jun 04, 2010 10:06 pm
Gyan wrote:D is the answer as if Physicians can be pressurised by consumers(who are influenced by advertising), then public health advocates concern gets strengthened.

Premise:-
"¢ Earlier-Drug industry promoted products only to physician.
"¢ Now-Drug industries promote Prescription Drugs directly to consumers.
"¢ Some Health advocates are concerned that Patients may take Prescription Drugs -which may be inappropriate for their health.

Conclusion:-
There is no concern as Physicians must prescribe these Prescription Drug before consumers go and buy over the counter.

Assumption:-
Physicians review the patient conditions and also different products that are available and advise patient the one which suits patients health. Physicians are not influenced by Patients for issue of prescription drugs.
Source: MGMAT CAT

Yes, D is the answer but I could not understand. How D is most helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates?

Can someone please elaborate it?
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by paes » Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:37 pm
Try Following approach

First try to put the +ve of D in the argument and find the conclusion ie.

Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions

then try to put the -ve of D. and find the conclusion, ie

Physicians are susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions

From case 1 to case 2, the conclusion of the argument will change from 1 side to another side.
It means this is most helpful in evaluating the argument.

Tell me, which other choice you think will be correct.
We can acoid that by POE.
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by akhpad » Sat Jun 05, 2010 12:08 am
I think; I could not understand D option well. Can someone elaborate option D?

I understood till these points
Physicians can be pressurised by consumers => public health advocates concern gets strengthened
It means that consumers have to come to Physicians for prescription.


Physicians cannot be pressurised by consumers => public health advocates concern gets weakened
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by TwoB » Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:13 am
I don't understand one thing. It is asked in the Q what info would help the public health advocates point
Public Health Adv r concerned abt the below hi-lited reasone so the option i choose should support that
and i felt that was done by E.

i feel the conclusion only provides info or rather fills the gap betwen what the health care adv is concerned and what the consumer does. "As the consumer is forced to go to the doctor only for that drug"(conc) and the doc is not biased the health care adv's fear is allayed
even then i am not entirely convinced why not E can anybody pls help
pradeepkaushal9518 wrote:Historically, the drug industry promoted its products to physicians by educating them in their offices or at industry conferences. In the last 10 years, it has become much more commonplace for drug companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers, via television advertising and other media. Some public health advocates have become concerned that patients, encouraged by advertising, may pursue the use of prescription drugs that may be inappropriate for the individual patient or situation. However, since physicians must prescribe these medications, there is no reason for such concern.

Which of the following pieces of information would be most helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates?

A. Certain over-the-counter medications are as effective for many common medical conditions as more powerful nonprescription medications.
B. Prescription medication television advertisements directed at the general public only appear on certain programs and are not seen by many potential consumers.
C. Physicians are also subject to prescription drug advertisements that are directed toward consumers.
D. Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions.
E. Prescription medicines have been proven to be safe and effective treatments for many patient conditions.
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by Testluv » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:29 pm
Hi akhp77,

this is a "relevant information" question.

The correct answer to such questions is always closely related to the assumption, and will fall flatly within the scope of the argument. Therefore, one approach to such questions is to determine the assumption.

Another approach is to treat it as a hybrid strengthen/weaken: the correct answer will be something where, if it goes one way, it will strengthen the argument, and if it goes another way, it will weaken the argument. (This was paes' approach).

Let's apply both approaches, beginning with the first.

First, let's identify the assumption. To do so, we should determine the conclusion, sum up the evidence, and endeavour to paraphrase the argument into one clean statement: "because of x, y" or "y because of x".

Public health advocates are concerned that pharma companies are directly marketing to consumers. They think consumers will get drugs that they shouldn't be using. "However", the author concludes that there is "no" concern (note that ambitiousness and extremity of the conclusion) because patients can't get their drugs without a doctor's prescription. So, the argument can be paraphrased thus:

"Patients will not be able to get drugs they shouldn't be using because they need a doctor's permission (prescription) to get drugs".

To identify the assumption, let's use the classic Kaplan approach, and ask: "what is the idea in the conclusion that is not in the evidence and what is the idea in the evidence that is not in the conclusion?" or "what are the mismatched ideas between conclusion and evidence?" After discovering what the mismatched ideas are, the next and final step is to connect them. That will be the author's assumption. Let's do that here:

The conclusion is that there is NO concern. Did the evidence establish that? Well, looking at our paraphrase, we see that the evidence only established that patients need a doctor's permission to obtain drugs. Does the fact that patients ned doctor's permission to get drugs certainly establish the idea that patients won't get drugs they shouldn't be using? NO, it doesn't. Not unless you assume that patients can't inluence whether or not the doctor will give them permission to use a drug. That's the author's assumption, which matches choice D.

We can also see choice D is correct by applying the second approach: hybrid strengthen/weaken:

If physicians ARE NOT susceptible to pressure from patients in detemining appropriate courses of treatment, including prescription drugs, then patients won't be able be to get drugs they shouldn't be using, and the author's conclusion--that there is NO concern--is made more likely, and thus the argument is strengthened.

On the other hand, if physicians ARE susceptible to patient influence, then some patients may well be able to get drugs they sholdn't be using, and it would appear that the public health advocates were justified in their concern, and the author's argument is weakened.

Thus, choice D MUST be helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates.

(Edited thrice for spelling).
Last edited by Testluv on Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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by Testluv » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:35 pm
even then i am not entirely convinced why not E can anybody pls help
Neither the author nor the public health advocates are arguing that prescription medicines haven't proven to be safe effective in many outcomes. The public health advocates point is that sometimes a patient may want a drug that is "inappropriate for the individual patient or situation". (For example, if someone is on, say, high-blood pressure medication they may not be able to safely take a drug that would otherwise be quite fine.)
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by Testluv » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:43 pm
I think; I could not understand D option well. Can someone elaborate option D?

I understood till these points
Physicians can be pressurised by consumers => public health advocates concern gets strengthened
It means that consumers have to come to Physicians for prescription.
We already know from the passage that patients have to come to physicians for prescription. The issue is whether (or not) patients can influence the physician's decision about whether or not to prescribe any given drug. If they can, then the health advocates concerns are justified, and the author's argument is weakened. Conversely, if the patients can't influence the physician's decision, then the author's argument is strengthened.
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by akhpad » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:48 pm
Testluv

Great explanation.

One last Q

Option D is strengthen the author's argument but weaken the public health advocate's.
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by Testluv » Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:01 pm
We are not reading choice D as a fact (the way we would in strengthen or weaken questions).

Instead, we are judging whether option D would be "helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates".

Choice D reads:
D. Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment, including drug prescriptions.
If physicians ARE NOT susceptible to patient influence, then the author's argument is strengthened, and the public health advocates' is weakened.

if physicians ARE susceptible to patient influence, then the author's argument is weakened, and the public health advocates' is strengthened.

Thus, choice D would be helpful in addressing the concern articulated by the public health advocates.
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