Healthy Skepticism Library item: 14022

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Cain DM, Detsky AS.
Everyone's a Little Bit Biased (Even Physicians)
JAMA. 2008 Jun 25; 299:(24):2893-2895
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/299/24/2893?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=biased&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

Abstract:

Medical schools and professional medical associations have developed policies and guidelines in response to increasing concerns over potential conflicts of interest.1 While many physicians agree with these concerns, some view conflict-of-interest policies as affronts to their integrity and an indictment of the ethical conduct of the profession as a whole. These individuals believe that their training as scientists and their devotion to professionalism protects them from external influences that might bias their opinions. However, this view may be based on an incorrect understanding of human psychology. Conflicts of interest are problematic, not only because they are widespread but also because most people incorrectly think that succumbing to them is due to intentional corruption, a problem for only a few bad apples. In this Commentary, we argue that succumbing to a conflict of interest is more likely to result from unintentional bias, . . .

Keywords:
MeSH Terms: Bias (Epidemiology)* Conflict of Interest* Disclosure Ethical Analysis* Ethical Relativism* Humans Interprofessional Relations Judgment Prejudice Unconscious (Psychology)