Ghostbusters
Leave a comment22 February, 2012 by ehauke
A recent essay in PLoS Medicine has highlighted the consistent failure of medical journals to control the practice of ghostwriting. In an attempt to stamp it out once and for all, legal experts have advised that doctors and scientists who ‘guest author’ papers written by ghostwriters should be charged with professional misconduct and fraud.
Fundamentally, medicine is based on trust.
I've had direct experience of this practice and it is really disturbing. The only thing that I would dispute is the financial reward for the ghostwriter. In my experience, they go through a lot of heartache and stress, trying to mediate commercial pharmaceutical marketing concerns, key opinion leaders' (expert scientists and doctors) egos, and their own sense of moral behaviour and ethical conduct. And given the ridiculous requirements placed on them, they are not financially well rewarded. Especially compared to the other parties involved.
