E-drug: Meeting for those with GBP 1173.83 to spare (cont'd)
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Dear e-druggers,
I would like to respond to the message(s) regarding the conference on
patient partnerships and drug companies.
I am speaking at the conference on behalf of the Office for Public
Management - an independent not-for-profit centre - providing
organisational development consultancy for the public sector. My role
is to support patient, carer and public involvement in the UK NHS. I
have also chaired the HAI meeting on industry sponsorship of health
care recently (report out soon from HAI I believe).
My presentation at the conference will focus on quality of patient
information and will draw on my/our recent work undertaken at the
King's Fund. I will be pointing out that many educational and
informational materials (some funded directly or indirectly by industry)
is biased. Patient groups were also found lacking in many respects.
The point here is that, not only will I probably be shot by both sides
(patient groups and industry) for raising these issues, but that I will
also go on to talk about the way industry sponsors patient groups
(risks as well as benefits).
By focusing on the quality of information, I will raise some
controversial issues. I have a feeling I may be one of the only ones
speaking critically on the subject. I will report back on the conference.
I support David Dickinson in his view that patient groups struggle to,
and can and do, remain independent. I do not think we should burn
down the bridges between patient groups and consumer groups.
Ultimately, we want similar things. It's also very easy to criticise
groups that are desperate for money to do good work.
The problem is that patient groups can underestimate the influence of
industry, and the wider public relations legitimacy agenda that comes
with sponsorship. This is what came out from the HAI conference.
It is worthwhile to note that the Long Term Medical Conditions
Alliance in the UK has taken first steps to deal with a difficult situation
that it inherited. However, the guidelines look at the way patient
groups and companies can work in partnership and is good on
principles. However, it lacks two things. Firstly, awareness of the
bigger picture of sponsorship and the indirect conflicts of interest it
can throw up. Secondly, it is quite vague in some places and is only a
guide.
The next step for consumer and public interest groups is 'education' in
the sense of helping patient groups to understand the wider
promotional and PR agenda. This is no time to make enemies. The
industry would just love that! Also, to forge stronger regulations
around promotion and foster the creation of an 'independent' patient
movement (got any spare clean cash anyone?!).
With best wishes,
David Gilbert
p.s. With a fee for the conference like that, I wonder why they're not
paying me to speak?! Ah, well, I suppose that's the price of having
different values!
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