Academic Emergency Medicine Faculty and Industry Relationships

Abstract

Objectives: The authors surveyed the membership of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) about their associations with industry and predictors of those associations.Methods: A national Web-based survey inviting faculty from the active member list of SAEM was conducted. Follow-up requests for participation were sent weekly for 3 weeks. Information was collected on respondents' personal and practice characteristics, industry interactions, and personal opinions regarding these interactions. Raw response rates were reported and a logistic regression was used to generate descriptive statistics.Results: Responses were received from 430 members, representing 14% of the 3,183 active members. Respondents were 83% male and 86% white, with 96% holding an MD degree (24% with an additional postdoctoral degree). Most were at the assistant (37%) or associate (25%) professor rank, with 51% holding at least one leadership position. Most respondents (82%) reported some type of industry interaction, most commonly the acceptance of food or beverages (67%). Respondents at the associate professor rank or higher were more likely to receive payments from industry (51% vs. 22%, odds ratio [OR] = 3.7).Conclusions: This survey suggests that interactions between industry and academic EM faculty are common and increase with academic rank, but not with years in practice or leadership influence. The number and type of interactions are consistent with those reported by a national sampling of other physician specialties.ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2008; 15:819-824 ª

Attitudes and Relationship between Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry in a Public General Hospital in Lima, Peru

“…In contrast, a study performed among faculty members of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine in the US reported that a higher academic degree correlated with a closer relationship with industry (e.g. receiving more drug samples or tickets to sporting or cultural events) [15]. Our findings are similar to those of the latter study.…”

“…For example, a German survey among physicians in private practice reports that 92% of the doctors received medical samples [14], while only 41% of faculty in an American study accepted them [15]. Regarding the practices of accepting gifts from industry and having interactions with pharmaceutical representatives, results range from 52% to 83% [16], [17] and from 47% to 98% [18], [19] for each of these activities respectively.…”

Conflicts of Interest in Emergency Medicine

“…finds that emergency medicine academic faculty relationships with industry are common and that faculty benefited from the relationship socially, academically, and financially. Furthermore, in a national sampling, the numbers and types of interactions are consistent with those reported by other specialties …”

What Is in Your Coat Pocket? Are Academic Emergency Medicine Faculty for Sale?

“…T he survey study by Birkhahn et al 1 suggests that academic emergency medicine (EM) physicians are similar to their counterparts in other fields of medicine regarding interactions with industry. With a sample size of 14% of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) members, the potential for error in extrapolating the findings across the entire EM academic community is significant.…”