Sign up now for ease of access to The Medical Independent, Ireland’s most frequently published medical newspaper, delivering award-winning news and investigative reporting.
Established in 2010, along with its sister publication The Medical Independent, our stated aim is to investigate and analyse the major issues affecting healthcare and the medical profession in Ireland. The Medical Independent has won a number of awards for its investigative journalism, and its stories are frequently picked up by national digital, broadcast and print media. The Medical Independent is published by GreenCross Publishing.
Address: Top Floor, 111 Rathmines Road Lr, Dublin 6
Tel: 353 (01) 441 0024
GreenCross Publishing is owned by Graham Cooke.
The revised guidance is a support tool which will assist doctors to act in the best interests of the patient, so as they are not influenced by any personal consideration. The guidance should be used in conjunction with the Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (8th Edition).
The guidance, which was drafted following a targeted consultation process with key stakeholders, features a number of updates and new additions, including information on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality, ethics on meeting attendance and sponsorship from pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies, along with other relevant industry topics that are subject to industry regulation.
One of the questions posed in the document is whether doctors should charge a fee for a visit by a sales representative. “The [ethical] Guide does not give specific guidance on this matter. However, it is likely that the Medical Council would view the charging of fees for visits by sales representatives as unacceptable,” states the document.
Ms Úna O’Rourke, Director of Education, Training and Professionalism at the Medical Council, said: “Professionalism is at the core of the patient doctor relationship and is absolutely fundamental for patient safety and the delivery of high-quality healthcare. This latest guidance document developed by the Medical Council is a support tool which demonstrates how doctors are expected to behave and act ethically when working and interacting with industry bodies.
“This document aims to answer doctors’ questions about what is ethically acceptable when dealing with pharmaceutical and medical devices companies. It clarifies the ethical guidance the Medical Council gives to doctors in relation to their dealings with such companies,” concluded Ms O’Rourke.
A doctor has a duty and responsibility to be familiar with the latest guidelines, regulations and developments in medication and device safety. Their main responsibility is to act in the best interests of the patient and should not be influenced by any personal consideration.
The Medical Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics (8th Edition 2016) states that doctors should not rely solely on promotional literature distributed by pharmaceutical companies for information about particular drugs or medical devices. Instead, they should source independent, evidence-based information on the benefits and risks of all medication and medical devices before they prescribe them.
The new guidance is available to view at https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/News-and-Publications/Reports/Relationships-between-doctors-and-industry-FAQs-2018.pdf.
The IMO has commenced a ballot of NCHDs on industrial action up to and including strike...
The National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) has announced the publication of the National Paediatric Diabetes...
The ICGP is examining alternative pathways for entry into general practice training as part of efforts...
In December, the HSE released part of an external review into the case of 'Brandon', a...
The evidence on doctor burnout “should scare us and concern us”, the Director of the RCSI...
A review of public health governance structures and addressing “longstanding” IT infrastructure...
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.