Médicos/Industria: Conflicto de intereses...

We conducted a qualitative-quantitative research. Initially, we interviewed 60 medical students at the University of Bologna in order to define the most important issues to be analyzed. In a second phase, 190 medical students completed a 22-item anonymous survey about the degree of bias in pharmaceutical representatives’ information, the influence of pharmaceutical representatives on doctors’ prescribing habits, the acceptability of specific gifts, and the educational value of pharmaceutical representatives information. Results Our study revealed a lack of information among students about these topics and the associated ethical issues. Most students were not aware of the possible consequences of the interaction between physicians and pharmaceutical representatives. Conclusions Further research should focus on evaluating students’ attitudes toward pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless these findings, coupled with the students desire to learn more about the issue, suggest that an early educational intervention addressing this topic should be provided in medical schools.

Ver...