Small gifts (pens, souvenirs, product samples) and services (a lecture at lunch, a paid invitation to a conference) from representatives of pharmaceutical companies are received by 80% of doctors*. These tricks work successfully: doctors more often prescribe promoted drugs to patients, less often note their side effects, and do not always draw patients’ attention to cheap analogues.
Small gifts (pens, souvenirs, product samples) and services (a lecture at lunch, a paid invitation to a conference) from representatives of pharmaceutical companies are received by 80% of doctors*. These tricks work successfully: doctors more often prescribe promoted drugs to patients, less often note their side effects, and do not always draw patients’ attention to cheap analogues. Why is such a straightforward scheme so effective – not only in relation to doctors, but also to government officials and representatives of other professions? Apparently, any signs of attention and souvenirs – even trifling ones – make us internally obliged. In addition, the small scale of offerings allows us to maintain confidence in our own impartiality, while accepting larger gifts, we would feel “bought”. Finally, gifts, services and other courtesies addressed to us cause a not always conscious feeling of emotional affection for the person who makes them, and a desire to do something nice in return. It is worth knowing about this so as not to feel obligated to someone all the time.
* New Scientist, No. 2601, 2007.