SUMMARY The aim of the study was to assess the attitudes of the medical staff to methods used by the pharmaceutical industry to promote information on new drugs. This was achieved by the use of an anonymous questionnaire sent to all medical staff in the district including those staff holding posts as clinical or medical assistants.

SUMMARY Questionnaire replies were received from 86% of all members of the British Association for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation soliciting opinions regarding influences and attitudes to prescribing. The importance and quality of information sources for new drugs were assessed and the importance of various aspects of information considered to be necessary for inclusion in a data card were investigated. The results indicated the professional journals and independent sources such as the Prescribers Journal are highly thought of by Rheumatologists and that advertisements and ‘popular’ journals are less likely to be important in the transmission of awareness of a new drug. The most important aspects of information considered to be necessary for inclusion in a data card or information bulletin were adverse‐ or side‐effects. Specific details of the drug formulation or presentation are considered to be of much less importance. Rheumatologists prefer to prescribe by generic name and are likely to use two or three drugs in the treatment of a patient.