The relationship between paediatric practitioners and ‘industry’

Question 1

What is “industry”?

Answer 1

purposes includes representatives from commercial organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, medical device manufacturers, nutritional and health care product developers, as well as service suppliers.

Question 2

What is the pediatric practitioner’s role?

Answer 2

to provide the best care for infants, children and adolescents, using current evidence-based knowledge, while making a reasonable living

Question 3

What is the industry’s role?

Answer 3

to provide safe and effective health care products while returning a profit to company shareholders

Question 4

What are the beneficence related considerations?

Answer 4

Ethical responsibility to conduct stringently arm’s length relationship with industry

Question 5

What are the professionalism related considerations?

Answer 5

Personal integrity is essential and thus gifts should never be accepted as they compromise objectivity, professional behavior and respect of patients, parents, and colleagues

Question 6

What are the non-maleficence related considerations?

Answer 6

Must disclose conflict of interest

Consider free samples only if its the standard of care and a child will not otherwise receive treatment

Question 7

What is the CMA guideline?

Answer 7

Practising physicians should not accept personal gifts of any significant monetary or other value from industry

Question 8

What is the RCPSC guideline regarding education?

Answer 8

1. Limits CME sponsorship to “…modest meals or social events that are held as part of a conference or meeting”
2. Limits funding faculty only for “reasonable honoraria and reimbursement for travel, lodging and meal expenses”.

Question 9

What are the CPS recommendations?

Answer 9

1. Remember that industry is, first and foremost, in the business of selling products and services.
2. Fully evaluate information provided by industry for scientific merit.
3. Evaluation means exercising due diligence in investigating the risks and benefits of new treatments and keeping abreast of the evidence-based literature concerning available treatment options.
4. Fully disclose any relevant commercial ties with industry to patients in relation to prescribing practice.
5. Do not accept gifts, inducements or even small tokens (e.g., pens, mugs) which do not benefit patients.
6. Do not accept or offer free samples, with the possible exception of situations of social or financial need, such as when a child would not receive therapy otherwise. For those cases, the samples must constitute appropriate therapy and cover the duration of treatment.
7. Fully disclose any relevant commercial ties with industry to committees for whom this relationship may constitute a real, potential or perceived COI.
8. Organizers of CME may apply to industry for unrestricted educational grants for educational activities that contribute to the improvement of patient care. Support may include reasonable speaker expenses and modest meals for course participants, if meals are incidental to the educational content of the meeting.
9. Industry should not be involved in choosing speakers or content for CME presentations.
10. Educational curriculum should be provided by training programs and by medical institutions outlining the issues of interactions with industry and their potential impact on treatment bias, scientific objectivity and conflict of interest.