Posted by Alan on October 23, 2002, at 18:26:18
In reply to Re: Educate members, posted by Dr. Bob on October 23, 2002, at 16:22:47
> > the issue is, how far is a specific site ... going to be allowing the emboldening of the pharmecutical industry to hawk their wares as *a position of authority*.
>
> In what sense do you see them as in a position of authority?In much the same way as the face time they have w/you and your colleagues. They are authorities to you. You take the time to listen and make judgements....but based on critical thinking skills that cuts through all of the "Goober talk" that the simplified pitch is designed to appeal to.
However, you have the knowledge and experience to know where they are coming from and know - as one also being in a position of authority - how to think critically in order to form critical medical judgements and distinctions concerning the details of their pitch.
Consumers do not. That's what makes the playing field so skewed in favor of the commercial pitches that us regular people are subjected to.
For instance, how are we going to know what questions to ask to critically break down their company line when we're not doctors? Re: comparative efficacy rates, what an isomer is, what part of the test results matter and what is simply hype? By taking the package insert into our docs so they can compare them side by side and then read peer-review studies about comparative benefit/analysis of different drugs in med-speak that appears in clinical journals?
>And do you think it would be OK for them to "hawk their wares" if they weren't in such a position?
>
> BobHow could they hawk their commercial wares if they were not in such a declared position anyway? Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question.
Basically, no. Not on a bulletin board that best serves as a sanctuary for exchanging personal information and experiences to best make our own judgements. We have ads for these medications in mags, TV spots and the doc's office brochure stand already.
Why would one consider allowing the same commercial interests infiltrate our board? In the form of virtual "face time" to consumers looking for unbiased answers to be able to make judgements about...?
It makes no sense to put commercial interests between the already intruded upon and complicated doctor/patient relationship. Allowing representatives of corporations to come here and give us the corporate line seems obvious to me, to cloud thatn already intruded upon relationship.
Doctors are the ones that should appropriately be given "face time" - and that is pervasive enough (some would say too pervasive already). A community such as psychobabble is not the appropriate forum for such commercial representation. There is simply too clearly a conflict of interest.
Alan
poster:Alan
thread:6905
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020918/msgs/7788.html