Pharmaceutical industry exposure in our hospitals: The final frontier.

*Despite recent changes in attitudes, most hospitals continue to experience pharmaceutical industry presence. *Pharmaceutical industry presence may be necessary and beneficial in the context of sponsorship of clinical trials with appropriate governance. Doctors continue to hold positive attitudes towards market-oriented activities of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. *Despite evidence to the contrary, doctors believe they are able to effectively manage pharmaceutical sales representative interactions such that their own prescribing is not adversely impacted. *Doctors also share a belief that small gifts and benefits are harmless. *There may be significant financial burden associated with divestment of such sponsorship by hospitals. *Change requires education and effective policies to manage pharmaceutical industry relationships and conflicts of interest. *We discuss case studies involving students and public hospital doctors to show that divestment is possible without significant financial detriment. *Health services need to be proactive in transitioning financial and cultural reliance on pharmaceutical industry sponsorship to other potentially less harmful sources.Copyright © 2016 AMPCo Pty Ltd.