According to this article in The Sunday Times-Britain: "As some nurses have gained the power to decide which medicines patients receive on the NHS, they have become the target for drug firms keen to ensure their products are used." This includes meetings at luxury resorts and meals that include "pan-fried woodpigeon breast with orange and shaved beetroot followed by roast Gressingham duck breast and blueberry and praline feuillete"--I have no idea what that means, but it's making me hungry.
Anyway, it's interesting to watch the dine-n-dash trend move over to the nursing side once they have prescribing power. I'm not sure what the rules are in the U.K., the pharma companies quotes seem to be very cognizant about not appearing to put the glitz before the education. Still, says Matt Griffiths, joint prescribing adviser for the Royal College of Nursing, while "there was evidence that nurses were influenced by drugs marketing. 'But we try to ensure that our patient care is not compromised,' he said."
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