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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9/15, Kalson) reports, "Telling physicians they shouldn't accept gifts from drug companies is all well and good. But convincing them that doing so is wrong is another matter." Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University "found that physicians rationalize such gifts as payback for all the sacrifices they made to get their education -- although they may not realize they're doing it."

The Pittsburgh Business Times (9/15) reports, "Reminding doctors of the burdens of their training more than doubled their willingness to accept gifts from" pharmaceutical makers, according to a study published Sept. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. After surveying "a total of 301 family practice and pediatric medicine residents," the two study authors "found that the reminder increased their willingness to accept gifts to 47.5 percent from 21.7 percent, and that suggesting the rationalization increased the number of willing physicians to 60.3 percent."

From the American Association of Justice press release.

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