I often wonder - why do doctors fall for this? Why do they participate in what is clearly a manipulative scam? When they know that patients and the community and even their taxes go to paying for expensive marketing budgets?

Part of the problem is that there is an unfortunate climate of entitlement among doctors. This issue has probably been studied rigorously but I suspect that being treated as 'special' all your life combined with difficult and prolonged training in often less than friendly environments breeds the feeling that you are entitled to special treatment.

I think, honestly, the other problem is that Americans don't take any holidays (in general, compared to Europe, Australia, New Zealand). I know lots of doctors that just take Thanksgiving off. So when you offer a very busy person an educational conference that is actually a holiday in disguise, they are going to be quite susceptible. Not to say that doctors elsewhere don't willingly travel to pharma fantasy island at every opportunity.