Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20061

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: Magazine

Dawson P
Easier dinner
Australian Doctor 2006 Aug 1127

Full text:

Editor Meeting one’s colleagues and having a presentation by a specialist in the field is an excellent form of continuing education, but the difficulties of sponsored events are obvious.

On the one hand, doctors are not going to drive after a busy day’s work to a meeting that lasts 2-3 hours and not get dinner – if there is no real dinner (just snack foods) they are going to to go home for team and there will be no time for the meeting afterwards. On the other hand, some drug company-sponsored dinners are over the top, the recently reported $200-a-head evening meal being such a case.

Sponsored meetings organised by our local division are all at a dedicated function centre. The meals are buffet style, with excellent food but no really fancy cooking – enough to eat and no alcohol. Doctors say the meal is often better than at five-star restaurants. One gets a decent amount of vegetables (a rarity in some modern restaurants) and it’s all done very efficiently with the meal served at 7pm, meeting starting at 7:30pm and finishing at 9:30pm.

If all drug companies went through the local division we wouldn’t have the clashes and there would be no criticism of over-the-top dinners.