The Ethics of Expediency

Socioeconomic pressures on medicine have redefined traditional relationships between physicians and patients, researchers and regulatory bodies, and consultants and device companies. Physicians are disheartened that the public perception of medicine, reinforced by the media, is often negative. Ethical lapses are frequently the focus of criticism. A recent example that received considerable attention is the inextricable link between physicians and medical device companies. Although both groups have clear codes defining the ethical interaction between them, expediency and loose adherence to those guidelines has been problematic. In a climate of skepticism, the house of medicine needs to reverse and not feed that skepticism.