Gifts and Conflicts of Interest: In Shades of Gray?

Abstract

Gifts are a regular practice within the relationships established by business world stakeholders with the professionals that may be instrumental in promoting their sales. Consequently, gifts are a potential source of conflicts of interest. This article is the result of a bibliographic study of papers addressing gifts, published in scientific journals which was carried out with the aim of identifying what kinds of professions address the issue and in what ways, in order to reach conclusions that may enhance reflection and contribute to professional training. The research was carried out using the SciELO, PsychNet, IEEE, and Proquest databases and yielded 59 publications that span the period between 1998 and 2015. Results show a remarkable concentration in health-related professions, mainly in their relationships with the pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless, an emerging presence is being observed in other professional fields. Starting from a philosophical conceptualization of the gift as a present, the results suggest that it is not this conception of gift but rather the exchange rationality that is reflected in these practices, thus becoming an ethically gray, i.e., uncertain area, that cannot be disregarded when it comes to training in professional ethics. Key words: gift, conflict of interest, professions, pharmaceutical industry Los regalos como conflicto de interés: ¿Una zona gris?Resumen: Los regalos son una práctica habitual en las relaciones que establecen los actores del mundo empresarial con aquellos profesionales que pueden potencialmente promover sus ventas. Por ello, constituyen fuente de eventuales conflictos de interés. Este artículo es el resultado de un estudio bibliográfico de artículos publicados en revistas científicas acerca de los obsequios con el propósito de identificar en qué tipos de profesiones el tema es tratado y de qué maneras, para arribar a conclusiones que enriquezcan la reflexión y contribuyan en la formación profesional. La pesquisa se efectuó a través de las bases SciELO, PsychNet, IEEE y Proquest, dando como resultado 59 publicaciones que abarcan el período comprendido entre 1998 y 2015 y que muestran una notoria concentración en las carreras de la salud, principalmente en sus relaciones con la industria farmacéutica. A pesar de ello, se aprecia una presencia emergente en carreras de otros campos profesionales. Partiendo de una conceptualización filosófica del regalo en cuanto don, los resultados inducen a concluir que no es esta concepción de regalo la que se expresa en estas prácticas sino la racionalidad del intercambio, constituyéndose en una zona éticamente gris, es decir, incierta, que resulta insoslayable en la formación en ética profesional. Palabras clave: regalo, conflicto de interés, profesiones, industria farmacéutica Presentes e conflitos de interesses: uma área cinza?Resumo: A troca de presentes é uma prática regular dentro das relações estabelecidas no mundo de negócios, o que pode ser um instrumento na promoção de vendas. Consequentemente, os present...

Top unresolved ethical challenges and dilemmas faced by community pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care: Drawing the line between ethical challenges and the quality of the pharmaceutical care

“…Selling unneeded pharmaceuticals to pharmacies, presenting drug baskets, selling drugs with presents, and inappropriate drug distribution among community pharmacies are all examples of the unethical activities observed within drug distribution businesses. Because of these issues, pharmacists sometimes overlook product quality, which impacts their professional conduct and decision-making [18].…”

Conflicts of Interest

“…A bibliography study by Volochinsky et al (2018) concluded that conflicts of interest produced by gift giving result in an 'undeniable dependence on relationships that implicitly lead to reciprocity and deprive the professionals from the necessary autonomy and impartiality' (p. 101). But there is another side to this story as well.…”