PGI to conduct inquiry into fake research case
In the fake research case at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, the authors of the study are likely to be in for more trouble as the institute is planning to hold an inquiry into the matter.
In the fake research case at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, the authors of the study are likely to be in for more trouble as the institute is planning to hold an inquiry into the matter.
Hindustan Times on July 28 and July 30 in two reports had highlighted how the drug information unit (DIU) at the PGIMER received just one call in three years from 2011 to 2013. But, in a research paper published by three doctors of the department of pharmacology, which runs the unit, claimed having received 56 calls in just one month. Quite contrary to this, the DIU received only 53 calls since its inception in 2003. The unit addresses queries of doctors over phone related to various drugs and their adverse reactions.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research last year.
Earlier, taking cognisance of Hindustan Times reports, PGIMER director Dr YK Chawla had sought an explanation from the head of pharmacology department. According to sources, the PGIMER administration, however, didn’t find the explanation convincing and director Dr YK Chawla wrote to the dean of the institute that an inquiry could be initiated into the matter.
Sources revealed that in response to explanation sought by the director, the authors had stated that they were maintaining data in their personal notebooks instead of the official register. Earlier, the Delhi-based Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research that published the study had said that they have initiated an inquiry into the matter.
Two resident doctors — Dr Pugazhenthan Thangaraju and Dr Hararmanjit Singh — and professor and head Dr Amitava Chakrvarty had got published a study titled ‘Short Communication: Drug Information Unit as an Effective Tool for Promoting Rational Drug Use’.
The study, supposedly conducted in 2013, was based on the calls received at the DIU.