Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2517

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: news

Cresswell A.
GP education filled with 'propaganda'
The Australian Newspaper 2005 Sep 13
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16583953%255E23289,00.html

Notes:

Ralph Faggotter’s Comments: CPD in Australia is supposed to stand for ‘Continuing Professional Development’ but since 90% of post-graduate medical education for GPs is organised and paid for by drug companies, it should stand for ‘Constant Pushing of Drugs’.

Full text: GP education filled with ‘propaganda’ Adam Cresswell, Health editor September 13, 2005

DRUG companies have “hijacked” education sessions for general practitioners by feeding them industry spin instead of science, doctors say.

As new concerns emerged over the credibility of the Continuing Professional Development scheme designed to keep GPs’ skills up to date, several doctors warned that the information given at pharmaceutical company meetings was unreliable and doctors were being “propagandised” by the drug industry.

Educational meetings organised by drug giants often highlighted positive information about the companies’ products and glossed over or suppressed negative information, or information about alternative treatments, several GPs told The Australian.

They said some GPs routinely fell asleep at meetings, went sightseeing during conference sessions or paid little heed to educational updates.

Sydney GP Con Costa said many doctors chose which talk to attend according to whether they liked the restaurant chosen as the venue, rather than the subject matter.

“I’m sure if the education was better quality, I’m sure they would stay awake,” he said.

Perth GP Joe Kosterich said CPD had “become a play thing of big pharma” and information was selected to offer a positive spin of companies’ products.

GPs are encouraged to attend education meetings through a points system, which ensures doctors continue to be entitled to higher Medicare rebates once they have accrued 130 points over a three-year period.

Opposition health spokeswoman Julia Gillard last night called on federal Health Minister Tony Abbott to demand “a very serious ‘please explain”’ from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, which oversees the CPD program.

“If there’s any suggestion that what’s being done at the moment is token or biased by the involvement of pharmaceutical companies, my view would be that needs to be sorted out as a matter of urgency,” she said.

The call followed a report in The Weekend Australian that the RACGP had allocated 30 points – almost a quarter of the number needed over three years – for a one-day seminar on “GP wealth creation”.