Medical education and the pharmaceutical industry

Interactions with industry begin early in medical training, and attitudes toward these interactions among students and trainees are permissive, which is not surprising given the "informal curriculum" received from peers and role models. Though the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education has recommended explicit policies on interactions between trainees and industry, past studies have shown that most schools and training programs do not have such policies. Given that acceptance of gifts from industry can create conflicts of interest, that promotional information may be biased, and that non-promotional sources of prescribing information are readily available, medical schools and training programs should develop and implement explicit policies restricting interactions between trainees and industry representatives.