Dive Brief:
- An advertisement made by the makers of the da Vinci surgical robot and featuring University of Illinois doctors has brought both the doctors and the university under scrutiny for endorsing a commercial product, a possible violation of university's policy.
- According to the Chicago Tribune, some doctors pictured in the ad did not initially disclose that they had financial ties to the company behind the robot, Intuitive Surgical Inc., as required by the university's policies on conflicts of interest.
- Intuitive selected the doctors to observe and monitor use of the device at other hospitals. It didn't become public knowledge that they had been paid for their work until the Tribune gathered the information from annual disclosure forms.
Dive Insight:
I believe Columbia University professor Susan Chimonas, who spoke to the Tribune, said it best: "Now that your doctor is a spokesperson for a particular company or a particular product, how do you know that you're going to get advice and recommendations that are really what is best for you?" While doctors may believe they're not influenced by payments of this kind, as well as the other gifts and food they've been given over the years, research suggests that they are, in fact, more likely to prescribe or use the products created by the companies that pay them. The University of Illinois should take this very seriously indeed.