profession
Pharma gifts common in residency programs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 8, 2010
More than half of internal medicine residency programs accept pharmaceutical industry support, according to a study in the Feb. 22 Archives of Internal Medicine.
Most commonly accepted are food for conferences, office supplies, educational materials and drug samples, according to the survey of 236 internal medicine residency program directors conducted in 2006 and 2007. Of the programs accepting industry support, 55% receive unrestricted educational grants (link).
Nearly three-quarters of program directors said industry support is undesirable, and their programs are less likely to accept drugmaker funding or gifts. Critics argue that industry support can unduly influence the content of medical education.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/03/08/prbf0308.htm.
