How many of us are being killed and hurt by the industries we rely on to save our lives?
By Dr Catriona Walsh Image by unsplash-logo rawpixel There is growing awareness that the drug industry uses financial incentives to get doctors and institutions to change their practices in such a way as to favour prescription of their drug. This practice has been going on behind the scenes for decades, but more attention has been brought to the problem over the past few years. Patients are consumers of what is often a profit-driven business. In a conflict of interests, doctors and institutions are being paid , not only to provide patient care, but also to promote certain drugs, treatments, medical devices and investigations. There is plenty of evidence that shows that, even when people realise that payments are being made to influence their behaviours (in this case prescribing habits) the majority of people believe that they can remain objective. But they are usually wrong. Pharmaceutical influence has been proven to alter prescribing patterns. Sponsorship by big f