CHICAGO
Nearly two-thirds of academic leaders surveyed at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals have financial ties to industry, illustrating how pervasive these relationships have become, researchers say.
Serving as paid consultants or accepting industry money for free meals and drinks were among the most common practices reported by the heads of academic departments.
Drug companies and makers of medical devices often use these connections to influence doctors to use products that aren’t necessarily in the patient’s best interest, said Eric Campbell, the study’s lead author. He is a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Since academic department heads set the tone for appropriate conduct at their institutions, their actions signal to medical students and others that this is appropriate behavior, Campbell said.
The survey went to all 125 accredited medical schools and the nation’s 15 largest teaching hospitals. About two-thirds of the department heads responded. The study gave no specific examples, nor did it name any institutions
Many studies have examined doctor ties to drug companies. Campbell co-authored research last year that found company ties were common among hospital review boards that oversee experiments on patients.
