Margaret McCartney writes

Bribing patients is bad medicineA pen, some Post-it notes, a delicate box of chocolates. As a junior doctor, I am ashamed to admit that I liked the freebies that drug reps offered me, a token of their appreciation for my time while they delivered the latest in their company’s developments. It was only when I read the evidence and realised that these small treats could produce big swings in my prescribing — to more expensive but not better drugs — that I stopped seeing the reps.Last week, the British Medical Journal published a paper showing that when people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are offered £15 to turn up and receive an injection of their antipsychotic treatment, more will do so. The medicines were given every one to four weeks, and the cash immediately afterwards.Some 71 per cent in the “usual care” group came for their injections, compared with 85 per cent in the intervention group. The researchers pointed out that the costs of the incentives would be offset by the reduction in the need for emergency care for people with untreated mental illness.Even so, this rings alarm bells. Giving payments to comply with treatment strikes at the heart of medical ethics: as the General Medical Council says, doctors must “maintain effective relationships with patients” and “respect patients’ autonomy”. People have the right to self-determination.When clinicians try to swing patient choice using cash incentives — £15 may not sound much but to someon...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs