SternViews

Whooie!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Jerome Kassirer noted angry doctor and flamboyant critic of MedEd has an editorial in The Boston Globe.

If his accuracy on point were only as reliable as his rage and anger, he might be worth listening to, and I have his personal apology letter to prove it.

When Clinical Investigators Control CME

When physicians run an organization in name or in-fact, bias issues appear relevant.

While the for-profit MedEd community has long been looked at for bias issues, it seems more likely that within MedEd, clinical investigators who run their own medical education or society ventures are a true concern. These physicians are often leaders in clinical trials and often obtain and control the funds for these operations.

Many investigators are owners and/or partners in firms that inform and educate clinicians in new drug therapies.

They often hide behind a "society type" image or a "not-for-profit" veil.

Pharma is often confused, as we all are, about the constructs of these physician-operated information channels, and as such, Pharma often supports the very organizations the new CME guidelines, Pharma industry guidelines and Pharma's own compliance/CME funding rules were created to avoid.

It seems clear that clinical investigators should not own or operate information distribution channels. 

Like the firewalls between promotion and CME, a barrier needs to be created between investigators and their ownership or leadership in organizations that are single-focused and primarily aligned with one or two therapies that exist only because funding can be obtained.

 

 

 

Update: Who Will Pay for CME?

As this dove tails with my previous post, it seems that perhaps the reasons are not lack of available training but lack of interest by the docs to become knowledgeable.

"Many doctors and pharmacists surveyed by the center said they have received only limited training in prescribing drugs.

Four in 10 doctors said they received no training in medical school on prescribing controlled substances; more than one-half received no training on identifying prescription drug abuse or addiction. Three-fourths said they had no training in medical school identifying diversion of prescription drugs for illicit purposes.

Four in 10 pharmacists say they have received no instruction since pharmacy school in dispensing prescription drugs. Almost one-half said they have received no instruction since pharmacy school in identifying prescription drug abuse or diversion of prescription drugs."

 

According to the Associated Press, physicians are not confident in prescribing many of the key drug classes.

It's hard to believe, but there it is!