Letter From The AMA

August 2001

Dear Colleague:

You may have read recent media reports and published studies focusing on the practice of gift giving to physicians by companies in the pharmaceutical, device and medical equipment industries. In 1990 the AMA created ethical guidelines defining appropriate standards for this practice for inclusion in the Code of Medical Ethics. More than 10 years later, however, studies show that many members of our professional communities may be unaware of their existence.

In an effort to address this situation, the AMA has formed a working group to raise national awareness of these and other ethical guidelines on this subject and to urge physicians and industry representatives to comply with them in their day-to-day interactions.

The Working Group for the Communication of Ethical Guidelines on Gifts to Physicians from Industry includes a wide cross section of physician and industry representatives, ranging from medical associations to industry trade groups. The group is launching an awareness-building and educational effort on the subject of gift giving this month, and I am sending you this packet today in the hope that you will join us in this effort as a partner.

Acting on this situation now is important to all of us, physicians and industry representatives alike. Some gifts to physicians by companies serve an important and beneficial function for both physicians and patients. But gifts that don’t adhere to the AMA’s Code — or other similar guidelines — may create the perception of unethical behavior. That perception, in turn, undermines our credibility with patients and the public.

Bottom line: Ongoing interaction and strong communication between physicians and industry is vital for good patient care, but we must ensure that those interactions are always ethically based.

How can you help?

First, please read and utilize this packet of information. It includes communications planning tools and is designed to provide you with materials that can be modified for your own internal publications and other communications channels. By publishing this information in your newsletters, journals and Web sites, you will raise awareness in an appropriate way with your key audiences, helping us reach more physicians.

Among the tools offered here are news articles, advertisements, an editorial, a Q&A, and a copy of the AMA guidelines (CEJA Ethical Opinion 8.061). Text for all these materials can be viewed online, printed or downloaded for you to use in your own publications and other communications. You also may want to consider distribution of the AMA’s free publication "What You Should Know About Gifts to Physicians from Industry." Copies of this handy pocket card are included in this packet, and you may order more copies by calling (312) 464-4671.

While the AMA guidelines are being offered as an appropriate ethical standard, remember that other codes and guidelines may be just as helpful for physicians. For example, codes of conduct associated with government, industry or other institutional employment may apply. If your organization has its own guidelines on this subject, we urge you to ensure that your members are aware of them.

An important point to consider is that we are asking you to build your own educational efforts to supplement ours. For sustained awareness of, and adherence to, ethical guidelines, we must all work together. If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to consider building long-term plans for awareness building on this subject. Professionalism is an increasingly important topic of discussion in medical education and organized medicine, and ethical guidelines are a key component of professionalism.

Finally, I invite you and your members to visit the AMA’s new Web site on guidelines for gifts to physicians from industry at www.ama-assn.org/go/ethicalgifts. Many resources are available at the Web site to help physicians and industry representatives become more aware of various ethical guidelines on gift giving.

Thank you for joining us in this important initiative. By urging your colleagues and members of your organization or institution to adhere to ethical guidelines for gift giving, physicians can help maintain the highest patient and public trust in the medical profession.

Sincerely,

Richard F. Corlin, MD

President, American Medical Association