Posted by Noa on January 19, 2003, at 8:25:46
In reply to The beloved drug companies their pals., posted by Phil on January 18, 2003, at 19:29:48
1) I don't blame the drug companies because they are being what they are--salesmen.
2) I DO blame the doctors who engage in this practice. They should remember what THEY are, and the ethics of the profession.
3) If anyone is going to be paid for this, it should be the patients, not the doctors!!
4) Even if they have consent, I question the quality of the information given to the patient before consenting.
5) To me, consent is beside the point because the situation produces undue influence--many patients would not say "no".
6) Consent is beside the point because by turning the treatment situation into something with dual purposes--treatment of the patient as well as service to the drug company that earns the doctor a fee--the doctor has violated a basic ethic of his or her profession.
7) The doctors need to be the gatekeepers based on their professional standards, and realize that salesmen are going to try to push the envelope more and more (sorry for mixed metaphor!), and that the intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship of the doctor-drug salesman relationship is going to produce undue influence both on the doctor's prescribing habits as well as on a patient's decisions about medication.
8) If the drug companies want to learn more about psychiatry or any branch of medicine, let them hire doctors of their own to train salesmen.
poster:Noa
thread:35463
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030111/msgs/35488.html