Resident and faculty perceptions of conflict of interest in medical education.
OBJECTIVE
To determine resident and faculty perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry's influence on medical education.


METHODS
Anonymous survey of categorical residents and faculty in the department of medicine at a large, Midwestern, urban, independent academic medical center.


RESULTS
Eighty-one residents (69.2%) and 196 faculty (75.7%) responded to the survey. Residents believed that a significantly higher percentage of primary care and subspecialist faculty receives industry income or gifts compared to faculty respondents. Many faculty, and to a significantly greater degree residents, indicated that income or gifts influence the teaching of both internal attending physicians and visiting faculty in a variety of educational settings. The majority of residents (61.7%) and faculty (62.2%) believed that annual income or gifts less than $10,000 could influence an attending physician's teaching. Most residents (65.4%) and faculty (74%) preferred that lecturers report all financial relationships with industry regardless of which relationships the lecturer believes are relevant.


CONCLUSIONS
Most internal medicine residents and their faculty perceive that industry influences teaching in different educational settings, and want teachers to disclose all of their financial relationships with industry. This information may guide further development of policies and curricula addressing industry relationships within graduate medical education.
Watson
Peter Y
PY
Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Khandelwal
Akshay K
AK
Musial
Joseph L
JL
Buckley
John D
JD
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000941:ethics*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000941:ethics*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D037921:Gift Giving / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine