Conflict of Interest Statements and Disclosure Policies for Surgical and Medical Societies

Abstract

Background

Disclosing conflicts of interest helps maintain the integrity, independence, and objectivity of surgical and medical societies. This study analyzed the public accessibility of disclosure requirements for these societies and the differences between these requirements.

Study Design

An analysis of the publicly available webpages of surgical and medical societies in the United States was performed to identify conflict of interest disclosure policies. These policies were analyzed to determine whether they addressed the identification, management, resolution, and administrative actions related to conflicts of interest. The primary outcome of this study relates to considerable variation in the disclosure policies.

Results

Publicly available web sites from 78 surgical and 116 medical societies were accessed to identify their disclosure policies. Only 50% (39/78) of surgical societies and 52.6% (61/116) of medical societies had clear requirements for disclosing conflicts of interest. A mere 38.5% (15/39) of policies from surgical societies defined a significant conflict of interest, while 72.1% (44/61) of policies from medical societies defined the same. Of those with a clear conflict of interest statement, only 33.3% (13/39) of surgical societies and 63.9% (39/61) of medical societies provided a form for disclosure.

Conclusion

Overall, there was a general lack of accessibility, accountability, and consistency in conflict-of-interest statements for surgical and medical societies. Many policies do not contain detailed information on conflict-of-interest management. To improve disclosure, each surgical society should publish guidelines for disclosures, provide a specific definition for a significant conflict of interest, and offer a disclosure form.