Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
The hidden curriculum: medical students' changing opinions toward the pharmaceutical industry
Matthew M Fitz1, David Homan, Shalini Reddy
1Loyola University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Building 102, Room 7612, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. mfitz1@lumc.edu
Background:
Authorities suggest academic medical centers eliminate conflicts of interest. The authors evaluated medical students' opinions and knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry.
Method:
An anonymous 20-item questionnaire was administered to medical students from four different medical schools; 15 items addressed opinions, and five items were free-response knowledge questions. Results were analyzed by Fisher exact test.
Results:
Authors received 667 responses from the schools. Sixty-five percent of clinical students believed accepting gifts was appropriate; 28% of preclinical students believed it was appropriate (P < .001). Knowledge was the same for clinical and preclinical students.
Conclusions:
Clinical students were more favorable toward receiving gifts than were preclinical students, yet there was no difference in their knowledge of the industry. Increased formal and informal education about the pharmaceutical industry is necessary during the clinical years.
Related Concept Videos
01:08Obedience
01:54The Placebo Effect
01:19Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
01:26Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...
01:25Drug Regulation