You’re
in your doctor’s office and you want to know whether he or she has
any financial ties with drug or device makers. How do you ask that
question?
That’s the sensitive situation the Washington Post presents this morning. It can be awkward because patients don’t want to offend or alienate their docs.
Be inquisitive, not accusatory. Daniel Carlat, a psychiatrist who has written about his own experience getting paid by the drug industry and also publishes the Carlat Psychiatry Report, suggests saying to your doctor that you’ve heard a lot about ties between doctors and the drug industry, and asking whether it happens.
Of course, it’s becoming a little easier to get the information other ways as well. If your doc is part of an academic medical center, you might check out their Web site, because some are starting to list their docs with industry affiliations. Several pharmaceutical companies, like Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, are or will be posting this information as well.
And if your doctor does work with industry, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, notes the Post.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that it is potentially beneficial [to the public] for industry to interact with physicians, because someone needs to develop these drugs,” Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic told the Post. “I work with many pharmaceutical companies, and I believe it is my responsibility as a physician to facilitate the development of new therapies.”
Nissen has also argued for tighter caps on funding for medical societies from drug and device makers.
*** As a career Pharmaceutical sales person, I think the one time you really want to know when your physician has any ties or influence from a drug company is if they are trying to fix something that isn't broke. For example, if you have been on a generic, or inexpensive medication and it is doing what it is supposed to be doing and all of a sudden the physician tries to switch you to a newer, more expensive medication with no rational reasoning - drug interactions, side effects you may be having, etc. Then I would most certainly begin to ask these questions. Many new medications just haven't proven themselves yet. But, if you are having difficulties and a new product is suggested then it is worth a try - not every product will work for every patient.... As far as keeping up on new information, that is not what drug companies do any more. They used to provide physicians with a lot of medical information, today it is all about sales and making their bottom line so most information provided to the physicians is slanted and jaded and your phsycian needs to stay on top of unbiased information that isn't drug sponsored....JMO
If you want more information, check out Healthy Skepticism....Have a wonderful and SAFE weekend. Looking for a book to read this weekend - check out www.kimberlycheryl.net. More on the pharmaceutical industry there...Thanks!
Are you able to have these types of conversations with your physician?
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