[Modification of the prescribing practice of the physician by decisions of drug committees, specialty groups and consensus conferences].

The Drug Commission of the Medical Profession influences the prescribing behaviour of physicians operating under the National Health Scheme in various ways with various grades of obligation: 1. via announcements in the journal of the society of physicians of Germany "Deutsches Arzteblatt" with particular focus on aspects of drug safety which the German physician to consider according to the legal opinion has; 2. via the "therapeutic guidelines" according No. 14 of "the guidelines for drug therapy" which the physician operating under the National Health Scheme has to take into account; 3. via a "compendium about drug prescriptions", edited by members of the Drug Commission listing ca. 800 recommended drugs from a total of ca. 2600 individual drugs on the national market: 4. via other means of via other means of communication such as fax-on-demand-service or the bulletin "drug prescription in the medical practice" with contents of significantly less definite character.