Pharm Free

Next week in National Pharm Free week, and I just found out a few days ago that I will be the coordinator for the activities at OHSU. It is a little crazy, but it looks like we are going to pull it off.

Let me start by saying that "Pharm Free" is a terrible name. It implies that you would like to treat all of your patients without the aid of pharmaceuticals. Obviously, this is not the case (would make being in med school pretty hard, no?) Pharm Free is all about reducing the influence of marketing on the physician/patient relationship in an effort to bring down the costs of pharmaceuticals (and healthcare in general) while also working to restore some of the physician/patient trust that has eroded over the years through the "business-ification" of medicine.

"What is wrong with business and making money?" you might ask. Well, nothing really. However, the relationship between physician and patient is supposed to be about something more, from what I both understand (and am taught weekly in my PCM course) and what I aspire towards. People come to a doctor's office, often in a very vulnerable state. They share with their physician some of the most intimate details of their lives...heck, they are already sharing these details with me and I've only been a medical student for a month and a half! As a result, I feel, and I am constantly being taught that, a physician's role is supposed to be to "Do good" not to "Do well."

In society today, we are constantly exposed to images that go against this basic premise. This serves to undermine this delicate and all important trust. TV reality shows are full of doctors anymore who are seeking both glory and a fat paycheck. The media latches onto stories about irresponsible and sensational doctors (e.g., "Patient sues doctor after he cuts off man's penis!") And our expensive medical bills cause all of us to wonder why some doctors are making over $500k a year, while their patients are filing for bankruptcy. Also, the current role of pharmaceutical companies in patient care is a constant specter hanging over the state of medical care in the US. All of these problems are substantial and eat away at that basic trust that must exist between a doctor and a patient in order for medical care to be effective.

Pharm Free Week, is simple but profound grassroots initiative that addresses one of these problems. We will be working during the week to have medical students sign the Pharm Free Pledge (http://www.amsa.org/prof/pledge.cfm). This simple pledge will plant the seed in the minds of future physicians that it might not be in their patient's best interest to accept that free lunch, golf trip, or conference in the Bahamas, from a Pharma company. I believe that most, average people see these perks for what they are: bribes. That is unfortunate. That eats away at the physician/patient relationship. That helps to reduce the effectiveness of medical care in this country.

In addition to taking the pledge, we will also be handing out stickers so we can "liberate" the drug pens that so many healthcare workers use to do their work. While it might not be like your doctor walking into the examination room with a big "Prozac" sweatshirt and cap on, simply using a pen with that same drug name implies something. The patient needs to know that the doctor is 100% on their side, and not prescribing them a certain drug because they will get a "kick back" as a result.

Anyway, that is enough of me standing on the soapbox for today. Here is the Pharm Free website if any of you out there are interested and want to make a change in your own small, grassroots way (http://www.amsa.org/prof/pharmfree.cfm).