Reading responses to a recent piece on ideas for increasing transparency in industry support for continuing medical education, this particular comment stuck out to me:
All industries use corporate support to further continuing education. There should not be a ban on that. If we are going to cut the communication between the industry and professionals, then how on earth the new technologies can be introduced to professionals. The fight to prevent influencing the minds of physicians is going too far. Now we want the industry and physicians not to even see each other??? Does it not sound like the Taliban… too orthodox? I am a physician and I want to know what is going on in the healthcare industry. I want someone to tell me what new medicines are coming out of pipeline into the market. I do not have time to research it myself. Just because a physician saw it in a seminar does not mean they will not use it judiciously. Even ACP and other conferences have sections where they allow healthcare industry to show case what they got. Those who do not want to know the latest technology are actually doing a disservice to their patient. For example a recent drug was introduced in the market as an alternative to allopurinol for gout. I would not have known about it for many months, unless a drug rep had not come in and told me about it. I still write allopurinol, but in the back of my mind I know I have a second medicine to help my patients, if they need it.
Industry and Professional communication is very important for overall development of technology. The users have to be told what tools they have. Once we are out of school those opportunities are limited. There is just too much to do than just browse every single medical journal to see what’s new out there.
Every single day the fast food companies advertise on television and ask our children to eat cholesterol laden food which will make them obese. Every single day marketeers are ruthlessly selling a lot more harmful stuff to everyone including us. We should focus on that, rather than just be trapped in our own world of medicine and to cut communications inside it.
Senator Grassley and gang; Read it, print it, frame it, and hang it up on your office walls.
