Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20027
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
Limprecht E
Medical students need drug industry lessons
Australian Doctor 2005 Sep 308
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/latest-news/medical-students-need-drug-industry-lessons
Full text:
MOST medical students do not think they are well informed about what constitutes an appropriate relationship with pharmaceutical companies, according to an Australian Medical Students’ Association survey.
The survey of 2000 students found more than 70% did not believe they were given enough information about the relationship between medical students and the drug industry, and 54% had never read anything about the relationship between medical practitioner’s and pharmaceutical representatives.
But when students were asked whether pharmaceutical companies should be banned from interacting with them, 57% said ‘no’, 31% were undecided and 12% said ‘yes’ AMSA president Mr Dror Maor said there was a concern medical schools were failing to develop guidelines that were known and understood by students.
Many medical schools do have guidelines on drug company interactions with students but have no control over interactions when students are placed in the hospital system.
AMSA now requires its council to authorise any pharmaceutical company sponsorship.
We are starting to realise that there are numerous other ways to get sponsorship. Pharmaceutical companies have become a last resort,” Mr Maor said.
The Australian findings mirror those of a recent US survey of more than 1000 medical students, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (7 September).
The US survey found the average student had one gift or sponsored activity a week from a drug company, and 93% had attended at least one sponsored lunch. About 70% of the students surveyed said gifts would not influence their practices and 80% believed they were entitled to the gifts.
