Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25279555›Full record

ArticlePloS one2014

Interactions between medical residents and drug companies: a national survey after the Mediator® affair.

François Montastruc, Guillaume Moulis, Aurore Palmaro, Virginie Gardette, Geneviève Durrieu, Jean-Louis Montastruc

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

François MontastrucLaboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Centre Midi-Pyrénées de PharmacoVigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Informations sur le Médicament, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, Toulouse, France; INSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Département Universitaire d'Epidémiologie, d'Economie de la Santé et de Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service d'Epidémiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, France.
Guillaume MoulisLaboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; INSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service de Médecine Interne, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, France.
Aurore PalmaroLaboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Centre Midi-Pyrénées de PharmacoVigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Informations sur le Médicament, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, Toulouse, France; INSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Virginie GardetteINSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Département Universitaire d'Epidémiologie, d'Economie de la Santé et de Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service d'Epidémiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, France.
Geneviève DurrieuLaboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Centre Midi-Pyrénées de PharmacoVigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Informations sur le Médicament, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, Toulouse, France; INSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Jean-Louis MontastrucLaboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Service de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Centre Midi-Pyrénées de PharmacoVigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Informations sur le Médicament, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, Toulouse, France; INSERM U 1027, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe present study aimed to describe exposure and attitudes of French medical residents towards pharmaceutical industry. The study was performed shortly after the Mediator affair which revealed several serious conflicts of interest inside the French health system. METHODS AND

findingsA cross-sectional study was implemented among residents from 6 French medical faculties. Independent education in pharmacology, attitudes towards the practices of pharmaceutical sales representatives, opinions concerning the pharmaceutical industry, quality of information provided by the pharmaceutical industry, and opinions about pharmaceutical company sponsorship were investigated through a web-based questionnaire. We also assessed potential changes in resident attitudes following the Mediator affair. The mean value of exposure to drug companies was 1.9 times per month. Global opinions towards drug company information were negative for 42.7% of the residents and positive for only 8.2%. Surprisingly, 81.6% of residents claimed that they had not changed their practices regarding drug information since the Mediator affair. Multivariate analyses found that residents in anesthesiology were less likely to be exposed than others (OR = 0.17 CI95% [0.05-0.61]), exposure was significantly higher at the beginning of residence (p<0.001) and residents who had a more positive opinion were more frequently exposed to drug companies (OR = 2.12 CI95% [1.07-4.22]).

conclusionsResident exposure to drug companies is around 1 contact every 2 weeks. Global opinion towards drug information provided by pharmaceutical companies was negative for around 1 out of 2 residents. In contrast, residents tend to consider the influences of the Mediator affair on their practice as relatively low. This survey enabled us to identify profiles of residents who are obviously less exposed to pharmaceutical industry. Current regulatory provisions are not sufficient, indicating that further efforts are necessary to develop a culture of disclosure of conflict of interest and of transparency in residents.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelDrug IndustryInterprofessional RelationsAdultConflict of InterestCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFranceHumansInternship and ResidencyMaleMedical StaffPhysiciansSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID25279555
PMCPMC4184806

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.