Healthy Skepticism Library item: 9001

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

Jagsi R.
Conflicts of interest and the physician-patient relationship in the era of direct-to-patient advertising.
J Clin Oncol 2007 Mar 1; 25:(7):902-5
http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/full/25/7/902?

Keywords:
MeSH Terms: Advertising* Conflict of Interest* Disclosure Drug Industry Humans Informed Consent Physician-Patient Relations*

Notes:

“…These examples demonstrate how advertising increasingly intrudes on the physician-patient relationship in the modern era. Furthermore, they highlight the ways in which increasingly complex relationships between physicians and industry may complicate the traditional ability of physicians to serve as impartial fiduciary agents to their patients. Existing ethical guidelines1 and regulations2 regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising require further attention and refinement in light of the issues raised by these cases. This article discusses the implications of the rise in DTC marketing of medical therapy and the complications arising when physicians are unable to function as unbiased intermediaries between patients and industry. The article highlights the ethical dilemmas facing patients, physicians, and society, and exposes the inconsistencies in medical arguments, the extraordinary power achieved by industry, and the glaring lack of guidelines for communication in medical practice…”