Industry conflicts of interest are pervasive among medical guideline panel members

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Public release date: 11-Oct-2011
Contact: Mount Sinai Press Office
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Industry conflicts of interest are pervasive among medical guideline panel members

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that conflicts of interest (COI) are prevalent and potentially underreported among individuals participating in the development of clinical practice guidelines, which inform standards of patient care. The findings provide further evidence of the potential influence of industry on medical practice recommendations. The study is published online Oct. 12 in BMJ: The British Medical Journal.

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http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/bmj-coc101011.php

Public release date: 11-Oct-2011
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Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmjgroup.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Concern over conflicts of interest levels among expert panels
Research: Prevalence of financial conflicts of interest among guideline panel members in Canada and United States: cross sectional study

The prevalence and under-reporting of conflicts of interest by members of guideline panels in the United States and Canada are high, finds a study published on http://www.bmj.com today.

The study exposes the problem of incomplete disclosure and highlights the important relationship between sponsorship of guidelines and presence of conflict of interest.

The prevalence of conflict of interest (COI) between clinicians and industry has been a topic of concern for the medical profession for more than two decades.

One area in which the presence of COI may be particularly concerning is the development of clinical practice guidelines, as their freedom from bias is important.

Although most organisations that produce guidelines have adopted COI disclosure policies, complete transparency is often not achieved, and may not be enough to prevent panel members' bias from influencing recommendations.

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