JAMA Internal Medicine is publishing a collection of articles on conflicts of interest, including two original investigations, two research letters and a commentary.
Details on the articles are below. All the articles are available on the For The Media website.
The original investigation, "Conflict of Interest in Seminal Hepatitis C Virus and Cholesterol Management Guidelines," by Steven D. Pearson, M.D., M.Sc., of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., and coauthors concludes: "We believe that our study highlights the need for broader and more explicit adoption of the IOM's [Institute of Medicine] framework for COI [conflict of interest] management and a commitment from specialty societies to adhere to the IOM standards. Adoption of consistent COI frameworks will help ensure that the clinical guidelines establishing appropriate care in the United States are developed in a way that can merit the trust of patients, clinicians and the broader public."
To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8439
The original investigation, "Patient Advocacy Organizations, Industry Funding and Conflicts of Interest," by Susannah L. Rose, Ph.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, and coauthors concludes: "Financial relationships between PAOs [patient advocacy organizations] and industry demand effective steps to ensure that these groups serve their constituents' interests while minimizing risks of undue influence and bias. Given the growing ability of PAOs to influence health care policy and practice, their financial practices and safeguards demand the same degree of scrutiny applied to other key actors in the health care landscape."
To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8443
The research letter, "Financial Conflicts of Interest and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain," by G. Caleb Alexander, M.D., M.S., of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and coauthors concludes: "Our findings demonstrate that greater transparency is required about the financial relationships between opioid manufacturers and patient and professional groups."
To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8471
The research letter, "Financial Conflicts of Interest Among Hematologist-Oncologists on Twitter," by Vinay Prasad, M.D., M.P.H., of Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and coauthors concludes: "Our results raise the question of how FCOIs [financial conflict of interest] should be disclosed and managed in an age in which information, interpretation, and criticism associated with cancer products and practices are increasingly available on social media. As a minimum standard, physicians who are active on Twitter should disclose FCOIs in their five-line profile biography, possibly with a link to a more complete disclosure. For tweets regarding specific products that cause an FCOI, we advise users to include the hashtag #FCOI. Policies beyond disclosure should also be considered."
To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8467
The commentary, "Toward a Healthier Patient Voice; More Independence, Less Industry Funding," by corresponding author Lisa Bero, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney, Australia, and a coauthor also is available.
To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.9179
Editor's Note: Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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Journal
JAMA Internal Medicine