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Sale of Products and Services to Patients

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Professional Standards Regarding the Sale of Products and Services to Patients

Preamble

The sale of products or services by physicians to patients gives rise to potential ethical problems.

The College endorses the Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics, as it relates to the sale of products or services by physicians to patients. This standard should be read in conjunction with the College’s Professional Standards Regarding Conflict of Interest.

Professional Standard(s)

  1. Physicians must disclose to patients any financial interest they have with the manufacture or sale of a product or service.
  2. As with any clinical decision, the decision to sell products and services must be evidenced based. Physicians must provide accurate information to the patient about the product or service to ensure the patients ability to make an informed decision.

Acknowledgements

In developing this document the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Nova Scotia incorporated relevant sections of the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics as included in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia’s document Promotion and Sale of Products, May 2014.

Document History

This document was first approved by the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia on: September 28, 2001

This document was reviewed and approved with minor changes by the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia on: March 10, 2006

This document was reviewed and approved with significant changes by the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia on: May 27, 2011

Reviewed and approved by the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia on: May 22, 2015

Reviewed and approved by the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia on: May 25, 2018

Approximate date for next review: 2021