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Should your doctor reveal their positions on contraception and whether they accept money from drug companies?
Studies have reported that around 94% of doctors have some sort of relationship with pharmaceutical companies. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that more than one third of physician respondents received reimbursement from drug companies for costs associated with meetings or continuing education, and over a quarter received payments for enrolling patients in trials, or for consultations and lectures. Patients can already see if their doctor has received compensation from drug companies on ProPublica’s database, Dollars for Docs—but one physician wants to take that a step further.
Dr. Leana Wen, director of patient-centered care research at George Washington University recently launched “Who’s My Doctor,” a platform where doctors can sign a Total Transparency Manifesto and disclose what outside funding they receive, what proportion of their pay comes from where and, if they’re willing, details about their family, political affiliation and philosophy of practice. For instance, a woman may want to know how her doctor feels about contraception, or abortion, or early breast cancer screenings. Parents might want to know how a doctor feels about routine vaccination. They can also, of course, see which drug companies, if any, the doctor has ties to.
“Dozens of studies have shown that when docs receive money from drug companies—even a free lunch—it does affect prescription behavior,” she says. Indeed, despite doctors’ assurances that pharmaceutical relationships don’t interfere with patient care, other research and investigations has showed it does.
Via Pharma Guy
Doctors in the US who are paid and entertained by drug companies are more than twice as likely to prescribe their products, according to a "groundbreaking new study on the influence of industry marketing on medical practices" (find the study attached to this post). The findings are based on "recently released data that 12 companies have been forced to make public as a result of US regulatory settlements," reports the Financial Times.
"Among a sample of 334,000 physicians, researchers found a typical doctor had a 13 per cent chance of prescribing the drugs of a dozen leading pharmaceutical companies. Among the 193,000 who received meals or speaking, consulting or other fees from the companies, the probability jumped to nearly 30 per cent."
More here, including chart:
Paid Docs Twice as Likely to Prescribe Sponsors' Drugs - But They Must Be Paid Well! Is the ROI Worth the Bad Press?