Drug representatives: giving you lunch or stealing your soul?

Pharmaceutical companies and their representatives attempt to influence the practice of medicine by giving gifts. Gifts, even those of trivial monetary value, impart a sense of obligation that conflicts with the provider's primary responsibility to the patient. Providers are less likely than their patients and peers to believe that gifts change their own prescribing habits, making them vulnerable to manipulation by industry. Providers who interact with drug reps must exercise caution to prevent compromise of the patient-physician relationship.