Dishonesty — the best policy nowadays?

As you know, for the most part I write about 2 things: News and
issues pertinent to both the present and future of medicine, and
how the government and big business stand in the way of your
health. But every once in a while, I feel the need to be a little more
expansive in what I talk about. And you guessed it — today is one
of those days. So what's on my mind, you're asking?

Cheating.

Maybe it's because there's an election coming up, but for some
reason, I've got cheating on the brain. Not specifically adultery,
tax evasion, or shaving strokes in a golf match, but cheating in
general.  It seems like everybody's doing it these days —
especially in the medical world. Recently, I've written articles
about drug companies fudging research and trial results (though
that's nothing new, I assure you), scientists ripping each other's
papers off in print, Medicaid refusing to pay for trauma treatment
claims because of loopholes in the law, lawsuits filed for false
reasons, and more.

Honestly (no wordplay intended), how many of us can say we've
never cheated — on a test in school, on taxes, in games or athletic
competition, or heaven forbid, on a spouse? Very few of us, I'm
betting. Let me be clear, this isn't about me being "holier-than-
thou" or anything, I'm just trying to point out that dishonesty is far
from rare to begin with — a certain amount of it exists in any
culture, and has since the dawn of mankind…

However, there are some obvious indications that cheating is
getting more commonplace in the modern era. For just a few
snippets of anecdotal evidence, think about how many pro athletes
are getting busted for steroid or performance-enhancing substance
use. Consider all the insider-trading and corporate corruption
scandals we've been hearing about lately (Enron, Arthur Anderson,
Tyco, et al.). Look at the adultery numbers in the last few decades
— they're not getting any LOWER. And remember the Jayson
Blair reporting scandal that shook the New York Times to its very
foundation last year?
 
But as I said, these are just circumstantial conclusions about what
one man (myself) perceives as a boom in dishonesty. You may be
wondering: Is there any hard evidence to show that cheating is on
the rise?

Yes there is, I'm sorry to say. Keep reading…

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Measuring a live snake

So how do you quantify cheating? After all, cheaters aren't likely
to advertise the fact that they broke the rules, laws or whatever.

Well, a recent WebMD online article cites a few very interesting
statistics that show an unmistakable increase in cheating and
dishonesty in the academic world. Whether this is due to declining
moral standards or easier access to plagiarized papers, standardized
test questions, or other cheat-friendly resources via the Internet, I
can't say (it doesn't much matter WHY, though, cheating is
cheating, right?).

According to surveys conducted by the Rutgers Business School
and the Center for Academic Integrity, in just the last 10 years, as
much as 35% more college students ADMITTED to academic
dishonesty than their counterparts in the 1980s and earlier.
Remember, these are only the ones who 'fessed up! I can't imagine
how big the total number really is… 

Why am I so worked up about this? Because I, for one, am not so
naïve as to think that a rise in cheating is ONLY happening at
business schools and liberal arts colleges. You can be sure it's
happening at medical schools, too.  I also believe that an increase
in this kind of academic "short-cutting" in medical school — plus
a radical decline in educational standards (nowadays, they're only
teaching which DRUGS to prescribe) — have dealt a "double-
whammy" of a blow to the medical care that you receive.

And there's TONS of evidence to back up the notion that quality of
care has diminished.

Scary stuff, huh? But that's what happens when morality and
principles go out the window — so does the caliber of treatment,
the breadth of your medical options, the Hippocratic Oath (this
credo took its Last Rights years ago) and all that it stands for. Now
the newly graduated take the Oath of Geneva, whatever that is. I
don't know who Geneva is and don't care. I'm sticking with
Hippocrates.

Kind of makes you want to steer clear of the Emergency
Department — and find a doctor over 50 or so, doesn't it?  

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