To Tell The Truth

Do you remember the old game show “To Tell The Truth”? Contestants would tell a story to a panel, and the panel then had to decide if the story was true or not. When we are given information about products and therapies we use, are we being told the truth or does it seem like another episode of that television show?

We obtain information about products and therapies mostly from salespeople representing the companies making the products (we call them “representatives”). Pharmaceutical and product representatives play an important role in the education of healthcare providers—whether this is good or not is not the question today, it is just the way it is. I see many representatives in an effort to keep current with new product information and new technologies. Lately I have been extremely disappointed with what I have heard from some representatives. I realize that these representatives are salespeople whose job it is to convince me to buy the product their company manufactures. They tell me how their product works, how it heals wounds, etc. without a significant understanding of what they are telling me, which is OK, because their job is to sell not to be scientists. Like a contestant on “To Tell The Truth,” I sometimes wonder if I am being told the truth about products. Not to tell the truth about a product’s action or its hazards, particularly when such misinformation could harm a patient, is unforgivable. I don’t care how much you want me to buy your product, you had better tell me the truth about it whether it’s good or bad.

Recently, I had a representative tell me that a product is a “generic” of another, more frequently used product. Another representative told me that a product performs the best out of all products in its class. I know for a fact that these statements are not true and that there is no evidence to support them. I have had representatives not inform me or downplay potential adverse reactions to using a product. If healthcare providers are not told the truth about potential risks of a treatment or product, we cannot make informed decisions with our patients. Most pharmaceutical and device companies supply healthcare providers with honest, truthful information. Unfortunately, this is not always the case since it has been reported that up to 11% of statements made by pharmaceutical representatives are misleading.¹ The problem is significant enough that the US Food and Drug Administration has had to issue new guidelines regarding the truth in advertising issue.²

I enjoy seeing representatives, discussing new and old products, and seeing new information about their treatments. The fastest way to be ushered out of our wound center never to return again is to be untruthful about a product or treatment. Healthcare providers deserve nothing less than the unvarnished truth. Companies have a responsibility to ensure that their representatives provide it, even if the information is not flattering to their product. Then we will all be assured that we are not sitting through another episode of “To Tell The Truth.”

Terry Treadwell, MD, FACS
Clinical Editor, WOUNDS
Medical Director
The Institute for Advanced Wound Care
Montgomery, AL
woundseditor@hmpglobal.com