Health Care Practices - Essay Example

The clash of two competing interests often lead to conflict of interest and this is common in the healthcare industry (Erlen, 2008). Physicians who have a financial interest in another business like a manufacturer or supplier of drugs constitutes a conflict of interest. When the physicians have direct financial interests in this business, they often refer patients to buy drugs from such company. However, the physicians’ secondary interest, that is increased income has the potential to bias their primary interest in their patients’ welfare (Lo, 2009).

The strategy that can be implemented in order to eliminate this conflict of interest is that watchdog teams should be put in place in order to make sure that physicians have no direct interests in businesses such as pharmaceutical companies they often deal with. The incentives for the physicians should be constantly reviewed so as to ensure that they are not tempted to engage in deals that can compromise their integrity in the healthcare profession. The other aspect that can create a conflict of interest is where physicians are seen receiving drug samples as well as gifts from pharmaceutical companies.

Drug suppliers in some instances may use unorthodox means to persuade the physicians to recommend or prescribe their drugs to patients but this can compromise the welfare of the patients as well as the integrity of the professionals since this amount to bribery (Brennan, 2006). In order to eliminate this practice, efforts should be made to ensure that all physicians are barred from receiving gifts that are likely to compromise their objectivity at work. The healthcare industry should be regulated so that all practices conform to the healthcare policies enforced by responsible bodies.

The other conflict of interest often arises when physicians directly promote a product supplied by a company they are doing business with. According to Lo (2009), this is likely to create a conflict of interest since there are likely chances that the physicians can be manipulated by the marketers from these companies. This can compromise their integrity since they may not be able to give objective recommendations in terms of quality of the drugs supplied by these companies. In order to eliminate this conflict of interest, stringent measures should be put in place where any physician found on the wrong side should face punitive consequences.

This will help to deter the other people likely to be tempted to engage in a similar practice. This will also go a long way in streamlining the activities of the physicians so that they can conform with their professional code of conduct. From an ethical standpoint, it is recommended that all medical institutions should create ethical codes of conduct that forbid the physicians to be involved in pharmaceutical business. Ethically, the values of the physicians should not be compromised for financial gains hence authorities in the healthcare sector should ensure that the professional code of ethics and conduct is religiously followed by all the physicians in order for them to avoid situations where conflicts of interests can be created as a result of their conduct.