Effect of Pharmaceutical Companies’ Gifts on Doctors

Effect of Pharmaceutical Companies’ Gifts on Doctors

The main components in pharmaceutical companies’ gifts include paid holidays, significant-quality gifts, expensive meals and entertainments, money/prescription commissions for the brands, sponsorship money, free medical samples, and financing for ongoing medical education and complimentary services. The acceptability of gifts from pharmaceutical companies by doctors is high. Also, there is a statistically significant impact of pharmaceutical tips on the prescribing conduct of doctors is substantial. This has the most effect on the prescribing behavior of pharmaceutical companies. Many of the recommendations made to pharmaceutical companies include paying more attention to charity as part of their marketing mix, the practices of rivals and minimizing the costs for delicious food and entertainment as they affect the behavior of doctors and encourage investment in more essential gifts.

Doctors are susceptible to corporate influence because they are overworked and feel mostly undervalued. Most officials give them relief and sympathy by offering gifts which show how hard the lives of doctors are, and seem only to want to ease their burdens. However, every word, every kindness, gift and piece of information is carefully designed so as not to help physicians or patients, but to raise the market share of targeted medicinal products. Doctors must reject the false friendship between pharmaceutical sales representatives for the benefit of patients. Doctors must rely on reliable drug information and look for the right friends.

Discussion: Unit 5 Complications in Hospital Discharge Planning Process

1. Aspects That Are Potential Problems in This Situation

Patient willing to do exercise, but has not shown physical strength instability. However, no patient note indicated the need for further inpatient care and treatment, but the physical therapist advised that the patient would benefit from a few more inpatient days. This complicates the discharge process for the patient.

Doctor-caretaker communication is minimal, and they rarely meet to discuss her others condition. This affects the treatment process, including the discharge planning process since her schedule has not been factored in.

Another potential problem is the unalignment of judgement for all the doctors attending to the patient. The cardiologist agrees that the patent can be discharged after she is prescribed with increased dosage of antiarrhythmic drugs, and assessed as an outpatient. The patient insists she has shortness in-breath and the pulmonologist has to evaluate her before some being released.

2. Opportunities for Performance Improvement in The Discharge Planning System

A critical assessment of all necessary steps required for the discharge planning process of the patient before proceeding and starting the discharge process. This will reduce complications arising from the discharge process, which affects the patient since they probably did make plans for themselves.

Also, ensuring that each medical practitioner involved in the assessment and treatment of the patient are on cue and on time will help ease the discharge planning process. The incomplete tasks will be awarded the required time before informing the patient about the discharge process has been initiated.

Improve communication between patient caretaker/guardian to ensure that she complies with her part of the discharge planning process to ensure the transition is easy for both the patient and the hospital.

3. What process would you propose to evaluate these opportunities?

Directly addressing healthcare professionals on the loopholes that hinder the ease of the discharge planning process will help them find ways to curb some of the practices that originate from them. A transition of behavior and action to both the patient and the guardians/caregivers will guarantee positive feedback in areas where all parties involved in the discharge planning process were failing.