July 2003, Volume 5, Number 6
1.
According to one clinical case commentator, the most important reason
why residency program director Dr. Matthews should not allow drug companies to
provide lunch for his clinical conferences is:
A. Doing
so sets a bad example for residents about proper physician-industry relations.
B. Residents may be exposed to misinformation about the sponsor's products.
C. Ultimately, patients end up paying for the lunch in the form of higher prices
for prescription drugs.
D. None of the above.
2. "Conflict of interest," as used
in this month's Virtual Mentor articles, describes:
A. An ethical dilemma in which one must decide between competing interests both
of which have a presumptive claim to priority.
B. A situation in which professional judgment concerning one's primary
interest may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.
C. A circumstance in which a physician places his or her own financial interest
above the well-being of the patient.
D. A and C.
E. None of the above.
3. The manufacturer of a new antidepressant offers
internist Dr. Hoover $3,000 for each of his male patients that consents to enroll
in the clinical trials of the company's new antidepressant. In return
for the payment, Dr. Hoover will follow the patient without charging him during
the 2-year trial period and report outcomes to the drug company. To comply with
professional ethics, Dr. Hoover:
A. May refer patients so long as he tells them that he is receiving $3,000 from
the drug company for each patient who enrolls.
B. Must recognize that the free care his patients receive while participating
in the trial might constitute undue influence on their decisions.
C. Must decline the drug company's offer.
D. Can enroll patients only if he is confident that the trial antidepressant
is a clear improvement over existing medications for the same symptoms.
4. According to the AMA PowerPoint® presentation
"What You Should Know about Gifts to Physicians from Industry," 3 key factors
that prompted the medical profession to reconsider interaction with industry
at this time were:
A. The inappropriateness of the market model for industry-medicine relations,
media coverage of pharmaceutical practices, belief that promotion of drugs to
physicians adds to price patients pay for drugs.
B. Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on prescribing practices; media
coverage of pharmaceutical practices, belief that promotion of drugs to physicians
adds to price patients pay for drugs.
C. The inappropriateness of the market model for industry-medicine relations,
media coverage of pharmaceutical practices, impact of direct-to-consumer advertising
on prescribing practices.
D. The inappropriateness of the market model for industry-medicine relations,
belief that promotion of drugs to physicians adds to price patients pay for
drugs, impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on prescribing practices.
5. According to the AMA PowerPoint® presentation
"What You Should Know about Gifts to Physicians from Industry," the primary
interest(s) of medicine (is)(are):
A. Peer recognition.
B. Patient welfare.
C. Developing new medical knowledge.
D. A and B.
E. B and C.
6. Which of the following statements about the
federal "anti-kickback" regulation is false?
A. It does not apply to the referral of patients.
B. It relates to activities that affect the volume of business generated for
a provider of service or a seller of products.
C. It relates to writing prescriptions for specific pharmaceuticals.
D. It applies to gifts, rewards, or payments that are more than trivial in value.
7. The Code adopted by the Pharmaceutical Research
and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) for governing their industry's relations
with physicians and other health care professionals:
A. Is a series of rules designed to ensure that industry interactions with physicians
and other health care professionals focus on informing them about products,
providing scientific and educational information, and supporting medical research
and education.
B. Has the endorsement of the Department of Health and Human Serices Office
of Inspector General.
C. Allows companies to provide scholarships that pay for medical students,
residents, and others in training to attend conferences.
D. All of the above.
E. A and B.
8. The ACCME's proposed new guidelines
for standards of commercial support of continuing medical education (CME):
A. Recommend that physicians pay 100 percent of CME fees in order to avoid undue
influence from industry.
B. Were drafted because more professionals and CME providers than ever before
have relationships with industry.
C. Are based on the same 5 ethical standards as the existing guidelines adapted
in 1992.
D. All of the above.
E. B and C.
9. Most patients with hypertension can normalize
their blood pressure with one medication.
A. True
B. False
10. According to the JNC7 report, the systolic
blood pressure range that indicates a pre-hypertension condition and should
prompt physicians to urge that the patient adopt health-promoting lifestyle
modifications such as weight reduction, dietary sodium reduction, and regular
physical activity is:
A. 135 to
139 mm Hg
B. 130 to 139 mm Hg
C. 125 to 139 mm Hg
D. 120 to 139 mm Hg
The viewpoints expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.
© 2003 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
