Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2259
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
Weber LJ, Wayland MT, Holton B.
Health care professionals and industry: reducing conflicts of interest and established best practices.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001 Dec; 82:(12):
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/aapmr082b0s20
Abstract:
The relationship between health care providers and pharmaceutical companies and other commercial interests is ethically complex. The common practice of gift giving takes many forms including free samples, sponsorship of medical education, loan of equipment, and gifts ranging from those of nominal value such as pens to more valuable gifts such as golf outings or dinners. Gift giving is a practice that serves both the recipient and the giver, but, in the medical setting, it raises the question of whether this is to the detriment of patient care. Although health care professionals may believe they are able to ignore influence from commercial interests, human judgment research indicates that decision-makers are generally unaware of biases affecting their decisions. This is an issue of organizational ethics as well. Institutions that allow commercial interests to give some form of gift are allowing the appearance of bias as well as placing the burden of avoiding bias on the individual rather than on the institution. Conflict-of-interest analysis indicates that best practice is to limit or eliminate the influence of commercial interests, ensuring that professionals are better able to exercise their independent objective judgment.
Keywords:
MeSH Terms:
Attitude of Health Personnel
Benchmarking
Conflict of Interest*
Drug Industry/standards*
Drug Industry/trends
Ethics, Institutional
Ethics, Medical
Female
Health Personnel/standards*
Health Personnel/trends
Humans
Interprofessional Relations*
Male
Organizational Case Studies
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)*
Physical Medicine/standards*
Rehabilitation Centers/standards
United States
*analysis/United States/relationship between medical profession and industry/conflict-of-interest/gift giving/perceived immunity/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: GIFT GIVING/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PRESCRIBING, DRUG USE/PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: SAMPLES/REGULATIONS, CODES, GUIDELINES: HOSPITALS
