Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18370

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

Crock E
Ethics of pharmaceutical company relationships with the nursing profession: No free lunch…and no more pens?
Contemporary Nurse 2009 Oct; 33:(2):202-209
http://www.atypon-link.com/EMP/doi/abs/10.5555/conu.2009.33.2.202

Abstract:

In recent years, nurses have increasingly become recipients of pharmaceutical company gifts, funding and sponsorship. There has been little discussion in the nursing literature, however, of the ethical and professional implications of nurses’ acceptance of such sponsorship. This article examines ethical issues related to the issue of nurses’ accepting benefits from pharmaceutical companies (and other commercial enterprises).

It aims to encourage nurses to look critically at the implications of accepting such gifts/sponsorship, or to enter any form of relationship with commercial companies within the health sector, and to stimulate further discussion of this issue within the profession.

Keywords:
ethics, pharmaceutical industry, nursing, conflict of interest, nursing standards, sponsorship