File(s) under permanent embargo
Debates about conflict of interest in medicine: deconstructing a divided discourse
journal contribution
posted on 2017-03-01, 00:00 authored by Serena Purdy, Miles Little, Christopher MayesChristopher Mayes, Wendy LipworthThe pharmaceutical industry plays an increasingly dominant role in healthcare, raising concerns about "conflicts of interest" (COI) on the part of the medical professionals who interact with the industry. However, there is considerable disagreement over the extent to which COI is a problem and how it should be managed. Participants in debates about COI have become entrenched in their views, which is both unproductive and deeply confusing for the majority of medical professionals trying to work in an increasingly commercialized environment. We used a modified meta-narrative review method to analyse debates about COI in the academic and grey literature. We found two Discourse Models: The Critical Discourse Model sees COI in health and biomedicine as a major problem that both can and should be addressed, while the Defensive Discourse Model argues that current efforts to control COIs are at best unnecessary and at worst harmful. Each model is underpinned by profoundly differing views about how society should be organized-in particular whether market forces should be encouraged or curtailed-and how the dangers associated with market forces should be managed. In order to make any headway, academics and policymakers must recognize that these debates are underpinned by profoundly differing worldviews.
History
Journal
Journal of bioethical inquiryVolume
14Issue
1Pagination
135 - 149Publisher
SpringerLocation
Dordrecht, The NetherlandsPublisher DOI
ISSN
1176-7529Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2017, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry Pty Ltd.Usage metrics
Keywords
Conflict of interestDiscourse analysisHealth policyMeta-narrative reviewPharmaceutical industrySocial SciencesScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEthicsMedical EthicsSocial IssuesSocial Sciences, BiomedicalSocial Sciences - Other TopicsBiomedical Social SciencesPHARMACEUTICAL-INDUSTRYBIOMEDICAL-RESEARCHPHYSICIANSDRUGSTIMELawPhilosophy
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC