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Publication Exclusive: Should industry have a role in resident education?
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Welcome to CEDARS/ASPENS Debates, a monthly feature in Ocular Surgery News.
CEDARS (Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Society) and ASPENS (American Society of Progressive Enterprising Surgeons) is a joint society of cornea, cataract and refractive surgery specialists, here to discuss some of the latest hot topics in ophthalmology.
One of our missions is to promote resident education, including introducing residents to the process of speaking from the podium and contributing as authors in medical journals. This month, Phelan Piehota, DO, and Andrew T. Strand, DO, residents at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Doctors Hospital in Columbus, discuss interaction with the pharmaceutical and medical device industry in a residency program.
While certainly there is always a concern about naïve residents being subject to undue influence by industry and therefore biasing the way they practice, there is also the reality of residency programs. Often, these residents are not exposed to the latest drugs and devices, and therefore they are still inexperienced when they go into practice. In addition, they often struggle with patient compliance in the clinic population and are unable to provide these needy patients with samples to truly act in the best interest of the patients. This is a complex issue with no easy answer. We hope you enjoy the discussion.
Kenneth A. Beckman, MD, FACS, OSN CEDARS-ASPENS Debates Editor
Click here to read the full publication exclusive, CEDARS/ASPENS Debates, published in Ocular Surgery News U.S. Edition, September 25, 2015.