|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Wednesday, September 29, 2004The nation's 750,000 physicians stay up to date on medical advances through mandatory participation in thousands of continuing education activities per year. In the past, a doctor teaching such a course would disclose his or her financial relationship with any drug company, say as a paid member of the company's speakers' bureau or a grant recipient. Once that was out in the open, the physician might then talk glowingly about anecdotal experience with that company's drug. Now, a third party with no ties to the drug company would have to tell the doctor what kind of recommendations he or she could make. Anecdotal observations would be replaced by results of systematic clinical trials. Any review of journal literature would have to include negative, as well as positive, studies. 'So this whole thing about just saying 'I've got a conflict of interest. And I've got a relationship. And I've got a personal opinion. And I'm probably biased. But, I'm going to tell you anyways,' that's not allowed,' said Murray Kopelow, chief executive of the accreditation council. Doctors who balk at the new rules will be barred from presenting or teaching at continuing medical education conferences. This is a much needed move, although it will probably make it all that much harder to find speakers for continuing education events. It will also put a damper on the exchange of ideas that flows at these meetings. Most doctors view speakers who promote their drug sponsor throughout a lecture with suspicion, anyways, although not all. However, given the way so many of these early ideas make it into the mainstream press as if they were well-founded treatment recommendations, thanks to press releases and invitations to health reporters to attend the conference, it's a necessary change. The influence of the press on public perception of what is and isn't good medicine can't be ignored. Overall, the recommendations should improve the quality of physician - and public - medical education. posted by Sydney on 9/29/2004 08:21:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
