Gifts and Meals

The pharmaceutical and medical device industries give gifts to medical professionals to cultivate goodwill, influence prescribing behavior, and gain access to prescribers. Gifts may include items such as pens and notepads, textbooks, travel support, lunches, meals at five-star restaurants, entertainment, and other items of value. Such gifting, however small, influences prescriber behavior.

Numerous health care organizations and academic medical centers (AMCs) have adopted no-gifts, no-meals policies.

Policy considerations:

• Gifts should be banned in their entirety, regardless of nature or value.
• Industry-sponsored meals and snacks should be banned in their entirety within the institution. (Some departments have budgeted to replace industry-funded meals, while others require that medical residents and staff purchase their own meals.)
• Enforcement strategies focused on vendors
• Acceptance and implementation