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Are physicians improperly influenced or coerced by free meals for their office staff and dinners for themselves?
#Response DateOther (please specify)
1.1/30/2008 1:40:00 PMit is marketing, not coercion. They do have a product to sell. There is no obligation to buy.
2.1/30/2008 1:48:00 PMOnly if they know who is sponsoring the free meal and what products they make.
3.1/30/2008 2:59:00 PMPhysicians' decision of prescribing medicine soley depends on the drug's specific action and side effects.
4.1/30/2008 3:28:00 PMDON'T KNOW
5.1/30/2008 4:26:00 PMdepending on the extent
6.1/30/2008 5:27:00 PMthe possibility certainly exists that with greater expense there could influence or the appearance of influence
7.1/30/2008 6:02:00 PMDitto
8.1/30/2008 6:31:00 PMyes
9.1/30/2008 7:40:00 PMPerhaps. I am always concerned when I hear of collagues who require a meal for the office staff as the price to paid for a rep to get access to the prescribers or ancillary staff.
10.1/30/2008 7:50:00 PMSame as #9
11.1/30/2008 10:37:00 PMAs long as meals are accepted by all pharmaeutical companies equally, why would any undue influence from any one company occur? Look at it this way--if I schedule time away from billable hours to talk to a rep, it creates a debt of time, and I have just given that rep a gift of time worth $100 or more. Is that valid? It's far more egregious to me than some damn pen. On the other hand, if I let the rep bring in lunch, that is time that costs me nothing, and there is no debt owed.
12.1/31/2008 5:16:00 PMI'm not sure
13.1/31/2008 6:10:00 PMCould be, because of indirect relationships with representatives
14.1/31/2008 10:43:00 PMdifficult to determine
15.2/1/2008 8:16:00 PMMaybe
16.2/1/2008 8:40:00 PMProbably more so then with inexpensive items, but again, my main objections if patients are ultimately the ones paying!
17.2/2/2008 2:23:00 AMCoercion is not the right word - I do not think it is ethical, but as a physician, I do not feel coerced. My staff, however, may be influenced.
18.2/2/2008 6:12:00 AMI can only answer for myself- I am not influenced, but I'm sure that some are
19.2/3/2008 10:05:00 AMsometimes- not all physicians
20.2/3/2008 9:36:00 PMif the drugs works it will be used..if it doesn't, that too will be apparent and no matter what they give me or feed me, i wont use it.