Ethics in Medical Sales

A Big Ethical Issue and its Consequences

            A popular ethical issue in this industry is a rep overselling or misleading a product or device. For example, we will look at the profession of a medical sales representative, whose job is to work one on one with a healthcare professional who either treats, or performs procedures on patients. In most cases, a rep will work with a doctor or surgeon, who uses medical devices to perform certain operations. The rep’s job is to sell these devices, with the doctors being their number one client. This ethical issue can come into play when a medical device sales rep and the healthcare professional are having a meeting to where the rep is informing the client about the device they are selling.  discussion usually consists of how it works, what are its benefits and weaknesses, and why it is better than similar devices. The ethical issue that comes in is when the rep will describe a device with information that is either false or misleading. This can be done numerous times to make the product sound better than others, when in reality it really is not. This makes the client think highly of the product when it shouldn’t be. This in turn can lead to the client, the doctor, using the product on a patient in a way where he thinks it will work as told by the rep, but it will not, which can lead to serious consequences, such as malpractice suits. A rep must be extremely truthful and knowledgeable with a client, or else it could cost all parties in the industry their jobs.


A medical sales rep meeting with healthcare professionals 

Ethical Codes and Conduct

            There are several occupations in the field of Kinesiology that are very much related to the Healthcare Industry, and with this industry come a strict code of ethics that society wants all professionals in the field to obey. If these code of ethics are strictly followed, all parties in the healthcare industry will see positive results in their relationships with coworkers, and most of all, their clients.