ERIC Number: EJ973701
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-May
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1042-9670
EISSN: N/A
Medical Student Views on Interactions with Pharmaceutical Representatives
Ganzini, Linda; Chen, Zunqiu; Peters, Dawn; Misra, Sahana; Macht, Madison; Osborne, Molly; Keepers, George
Academic Psychiatry, v36 n3 p183-187 May 2012
Objective: In 2006, the Housestaff Association presented the Dean at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) with a proposal to effectively end the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on campus. The Dean convened a workgroup to examine the issue, and faculty, residents, and medical students were surveyed on their views and interactions. Authors present here the responses from medical students. Methods: A web-based, anonymous survey was sent to all OHSU medical students in 2007; 59% completed it. The survey included items measuring attitudes about the pharmaceutical industry and interactions with pharmaceutical representatives (PRs). Results: Only 5% of clinical and 7% of preclinical students agreed that PRs have an important teaching role, and fewer than 1 in 6 believed that PRs provided useful and accurate information on either new or established drugs; 54% of clinical students indicated that PRs should be restricted from making presentations on campus, versus 32% of preclinical students, and only 30% of clinical students agreed that accepting gifts had no impact on their own prescribing, versus 50% of preclinical students. Students who acknowledged the influence of PRs and perceived less educational benefit were less likely to accept gifts such as textbooks; however, 84% of clinical students had attended an on-campus event sponsored by a pharmaceutical company in the previous year. Conclusions: Only a small proportion of OHSU medical students value interactions with PRs, but many still attend events sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.
Descriptors: Medical Students, Textbooks, Industry, Educational Benefits, Deans, Administrators, Surveys, Student Attitudes, Pharmacology, Interaction
American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. 1000 Wilson Boulevard Suite 1825, Arlington, VA 22209-3901. Tel: 800-368-5777; Tel: 703-907-7856; Fax: 703-907-1092; e-mail: appi@psych.org; Web site: http://ap.psychiatryonline.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Oregon
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A