MDM

Patient responses to physician disclosures of industry conflicts of interest: A randomized field experiment.

Journal Publication / By

Abstract Most patients in the United States depend on physicians who have financial relationships with the healthcare industry. These physician-industry relationships represent a conflict of interest: a potential clash between the physicians’ professional responsibilities and their self-interest. We conducted a randomized field experiment to assess the impact of written disclosures of physicians’ conflict of interest …

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Amplification of the status quo bias among physicians making medical decisions.

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Summary The status quo bias (SQB) is the tendency to prefer the current state of affairs. We investigated if experts (physicians) fall prey to the SQB when making decisions in their area of expertise and, if so, whether the SQB is reduced or amplified for experts compared to non-experts. We presented 302 physicians and 733 …

Amplification of the status quo bias among physicians making medical decisions. Read More »

Conflict of interest disclosure as a reminder of professional norms. Clients First!

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Abstract Conflicts of interest create an incentive for advisors to give biased advice, and disclosure is a popular remedy. Across a series of studies, with monetary stakes creating conflicts of interest, I show that disclosure of the conflict of interest can increase as well as decrease bias in advice. The effect of disclosure depends on …

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Clinical practice guidelines and the overuse of health care services: need for reform

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Key Points Specialty bias and fee-for-service conflicts of interest threaten the validity of clinical practice guidelines and may lead to overdiagnosis, overtreatment and increasing health care costs. Clinical practice guidelines issued by medical specialty societies in North America frequently call for greater use of health care services linked to their specialties and are often at …

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Insinuation Anxiety: Concern That Advice Rejection Will Signal Distrust After Conflict of Interest Disclosures

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Abstract When expert advisors have conflicts of interest, disclosure is a common regulatory response. In four experiments (three scenario experiments involving medical contexts, and one field experiment involving financial consequences for both parties), we show that disclosure of a financial or nonfinancial conflict of interest can have a perverse effect on the advisor–advisee relationship. Disclosure, …

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The effects of public disclosure of industry payments to physicians on patient trust: A randomized experiment.

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Abstract Financial ties between physicians and the pharmaceutical and medical device industry are common, but little is known about how patient trust is affected by these ties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how viewing online public disclosure of industry payments affects patients’ trust ratings for physicians, the medical profession, and the pharmaceutical …

The effects of public disclosure of industry payments to physicians on patient trust: A randomized experiment. Read More »

Association Between Academic Medical Center Pharmaceutical Detailing Policies and Physician Prescribing

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This paper investigates the question: “How did physician prescribing behavior change after US academic medical centers implemented policies that limited pharmaceutical salesperson detailing?”   Abstract Importance In an effort to regulate physician conflicts of interest, some US academic medical centers (AMCs) enacted policies restricting pharmaceutical representative sales visits to physicians (known as detailing) between 2006 …

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Effect of physician disclosure of specialty bias on patient trust and treatment choice.

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Abstract This paper explores the impact of disclosures of bias on advisees. Disclosure—informing advisees of a potential bias—is a popular solution for managing conflicts of interest. Prior research has focused almost exclusively on disclosures of financial conflicts of interest but little is known about how disclosures of other types of biases could impact advisees. In …

Effect of physician disclosure of specialty bias on patient trust and treatment choice. Read More »

Investigations before examinations: This is how we practice medicine here.

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Summary Based on a personal experience, in this paper I discuss the impact of investigations-before-examinations on healthcare costs, patient safety, and the quality of care. Unnecessary tests, such as x-rays, can lead to a cascade of further investigations due to incidental findings and contribute to cumulative radiation exposure.  I explore the power dynamics within the …

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Effect of reminders of personal sacrifice and suggested rationalizations on residents’ self-reported willingness to accept gifts: A randomized trial.

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Abstract Context Despite expanding research on the prevalence and consequences of conflicts of interest in medicine, little attention has been given to the psychological processes that enable physicians to rationalize the acceptance of gifts.   Objective To determine whether reminding resident physicians of the sacrifices made to obtain training, as well as suggesting this as a potential …

Effect of reminders of personal sacrifice and suggested rationalizations on residents’ self-reported willingness to accept gifts: A randomized trial. Read More »