Researchers say that the education of medical students should be based on the best clinical information available, rather than on commercial interests

A first-of-its kind study has analyzed the conflict-of-interest policies at the 17 medical schools across Canada. Macleans magazine reports that “overall, the researchers found policies were “permissive”—meaning most medical schools allowed interactions with sales reps, turned a blind eye to faculty’s relationships with speakers’ bureaus (so instructors who teach students may also have speaking contracts with drug companies), and failed to educate newbie doctors about conflicts of interest despite the minefield they’d be entering.”

The research also found that “protocols surrounding drug samples—which we know can influence physicians’ prescribing practices, sometimes for the worse—were practically non-existent.”

Adrienne Shnier, the lead author on the study and a PhD candidate at York University in Toronto, told Science-ish that she was disturbed to find out about the lack of education in medical school around how doctors should deal with conflicts:

“Curriculum is really important. That’s where students gain the toolbox they will take into the world in dealing with patients. When they are not taught about conflicts of interest, it doesn’t give them the tools to deal with this stuff in practice.”

The research article, Too Few, Too Weak: Conflict of Interest Policies at Canadian Medical Schools, states in its introduction that:

Conflicts of interest with industry may occur in medical education in the classroom, in the conduct and reporting of research, at the bedside, and in the treatment of patients. The education of medical students should be based on the best clinical information available, unbiased by the commercial interests of industries marketing pharmaceutical or other health products.

In many Canadian medical schools, students are taught by faculty who work in partnership with industry, e.g., receive research grants from companies, serve on companies’ speakers’ bureaus or advisory committees, or own shares in companies. [1] The financial relationships of faculty with industry may affect, or reasonably appear to affect, the integrity of their academic or publishing interests, professional medical opinions, and the information that they disseminate to medical students. [2], [3]

These relationships between medical faculty and industry represent conflicts of interest (COI) and compromise not only the public’s confidence and trust in medical researchers and universities, [2], [4], [5] but also the potential for robust, evidence-based clinical education for medical students. [6]. [source: Too Few, Too Weak: Conflict of Interest Policies at Canadian Medical Schools]

We speak with Lynette Reid, PhD, an associate professor with the Department of Bioethics, in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, in an interview first broadcast in July 2013.

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RELATED | Macleans: Doctors, conflict of interest and evidence med schools are ignoring the problem (July 5, 2013) | Toronto Star: Big Pharma meets weak resistance at Canadian medical schools: study (July 9, 2013) | Research article: Too Few, Too Weak: Conflict of Interest Policies at Canadian Medical Schools |