Relationships between physicians and industry are common.
- 94 per cent of doctors reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.
- 83 per cent said these relationships involved receiving food in the workplace.
- 78 per cent said they involved receiving drug samples.
- 35 per cent received reimbursement for costs of going to professional meetings or continuing medical education.
- 28 per cent received payments for consulting, giving lectures, or enrolling patients in trials.
- Cardiologists were more than twice as likely to receive payments as family doctors.
- Family doctors met with industry reps more often than did doctors in other specialties.
- Doctors who practised on their own or in group practices met with reps more often than those working in hospitals and clinics.
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