Researchers examined the ethical implications surrounding the close-knit relationships physicians and medical device representative develop in the operating room in a new study published in the journal Plos One.
The qualitative study, sponsored by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., included two separate focus groups — one with ear, nose and throat surgeons and one comprised of hospital-based attending orthopedic surgeons.
Researchers also conducted individual interviews with three medical device representatives, a director of a surgical residency program at an academic medical center, and a medical assistant at a multi-physician orthopedic practice.
