Study design: Patient survey.
Objective: To evaluate patient perspective on surgeons as consultants for industry and medical device manufacturers.
Summary of background data: Relationships between surgeons and medical device manufacturers are becoming increasingly common. Little is known, however, about how patients perceive these relationships.
Methods: Patients in the waiting area of an orthopedic surgery clinic were given a simple 1-page, 8-question anonymous questionnaire. Their responses were tabulated and analyzed for 3 variables: gender, age, and education level.
Results: A total of 245 patients completed the questionnaire. An overwhelming majority (94.3%) believed that surgeon-industry relationship is beneficial to patients, and a majority (66.5%) of patients thought that physicians should be compensated for this role. Women were more likely than men to want this relationship to be regulated by physicians instead of the government or hospitals. Patients older than 55 years were less likely to be in favor of physicians being compensated than younger patients. The more educated the patient, the less likely he/she was in favor of allowing physicians to regulate physician-industry relationship.
Conclusion: Patients support surgeons in the role of consultants for industry. Gender, age, and education level influence the way that patients perceive this issue.