Study: Physicians see gifts as payback
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Telling physicians they shouldn't accept gifts from drug companies is all well and good. But convincing them that doing so is wrong is another matter.
A new study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers found that physicians rationalize such gifts as payback for all the sacrifices they made to get their education -- although they may not realize they're doing it.
The attitude, the researchers said, is one of "because I'm worth it."
The paper was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Lead researcher and author Sunita Sah brought a unique perspective to the project -- she is a former practicing physician who once consulted for pharmaceutical companies on sales and marketing to doctors.
"I've worked both sides of the fence," she said, "so I've been interested in conflict of interest for some time."
The project was supervised by George Loewenstein, professor of economics and psychology, who has done extensive study of human psychology in economic decisions.
He called the gifts "barely disguised bribes." But many of the 301 physicians in the study didn't see them that way, though other research has shown gifts do influence how doctors treat patients and conduct research.
The study comes at the same time as an unrelated report on conflict of interest in the medical profession -- researchers found half of the surgeons who accepted big money from orthopedic device manufacturers failed to note that relationship in their scientific articles.
The participating doctors in the Carnegie Mellon study did not say they were taking gifts -- only that it was acceptable to do so.
But, Dr. Sah noted, 94 percent of physicians have some kind of relationship with pharmaceutical companies.
These may range from accepting pens and stationery to free equipment, lunches, consulting fees and paid talks touting a drug at conferences.
Her former physician colleagues considered gifts normal perks of the job because, she said, they weren't getting cars or big bonuses. The study showed the more deprived the subjects felt, the more they justified the practice.
"It's actually been shown that even small gifts such as pens can affect physicians' prescribing behavior," she said. "Our study looks at some of the psychological mechanisms that enable them to rationalize it."
The study's subjects were pediatric residents from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and family medicine residents from across the country. All answered a series of questions about the acceptability of taking different types of gifts from drug companies.
First Published September 15, 2010 12:00 am
