This exposure is considerable even during their preclinical studies. Researchers from the Harvard Medical School explain in the journal PLoS Medicine that students have positive attitudes to their contact with pharmaceutical companies - they tend not to think that their exposure might undermine their training and ability to subsequently do their job properly.
Study leaders, Kirsten Austad and Aaron S. Kesselheim believe that educational strategies for medical students regarding their relationship with the pharmaceutical industry should directly address commonly-help myths about the effects of targeted marketing.
They evaluated all published studies on pharmaceutical marketing targeted at medical students and gathered data from 9,850 students from 76 different medical schools.
The researchers wrote that the majority of medical students were involved in some form of interaction with drug companies.
This contact grew with nearly 90% of clinical students receiving educational materials from the industry.
The majority of students felt it was OK to receive gifts from pharmaceutical companies. They cited financial hardship, plus the fact that most students studying other subjects also received and accepted presents, among their reasons to justify entitlement to such gifts.
Nearly two-thirds of the medical students said they were in no way influenced or affected by bias induced by interactions with sales reps, gifts or promotional materials.
There was no consensus among them on whether doctor-industry interactions should be controlled by either the government or medical schools. The authors believe that better education on doctor-industry relationships, as well as institutions pushing for reforms may help achieve an environment which is good for the student and medicine in general.
They authors added: "Given the potential for educational and institutional messages to be counteracted by the hidden curriculum, changes should be directed at faculty and residents who serve as role models for medical students." They concluded: "These changes can help move medical education a step closer to two important goals: the cultivation of strong professional values, as well as the promotion of a respect for scientific principles and critical review of evidence that will later inform clinical decision-making and prescribing practices."
