To examine the status of pharmaceutical industry support for junior residency education in Japan, we performed a questionnaire survey of 445 residency program directors (response rate, 76%).
1) Fifty-one percent of respondents thought that industry support was necessary for education, and 28% did not believe that industry support negatively affects residents’ prescribing behaviors.
2) Twelve percent said their institutions had a curriculum for physician-industry relationships. Ten percent prohibit residents from meeting with pharmaceutical representatives, and 30% ban gifts from industry.
3) Fifty-one percent reported that they had pharmaceutical industry-sponsored in-hospital educational events for residents, and 73% reported that they had industry-sponsored in-hospital educational events which residents were allowed to attend.
4) Program directors’ belief that industry support was necessary for education predicted that programs would receive such support.