Related Articles
Conflicts of Interest in Guideline Development: What to Do When Everyone Has a Conflict
Avoiding real and apparent conflicts of interest is a fundamental principle of guideline development, but what should we do when every thought leader is conflicted? An example of this conundrum in rheumatology has been the ACR’s ongoing effort to establish guidelines for the management of lupus nephritis, which has been stymied by the fact that…
Ethics Forum: Is a Conflict-of-Interest Slide Enough?
We have all been to numerous lectures, grand rounds and other continuing medical education activities where the speaker, prepared and poised at the podium, begins his lecture with a title slide. Soon after, we see the ubiquitous conflicts of interest slide, which lists the invited speaker’s research funding, his consulting activities and his board memberships—all…
Ethics Forum: A Physician’s Medical Error & the Patient’s Right to Know
Case Ms. A is an 82-year-old woman who presented to the rheumatology office for evaluation of osteoporosis. She had been diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis at age 62 after sustaining a right wrist fracture. She was started on alendronate 70 mg weekly and reported medication compliance. At age 79, she sustained an atraumatic right femur fracture….
No Easy Solution for Lack of Transparency in the Practice of Medicine
Several well-publicized episodes highlight the apparent lack of disclosure of conflicts of interest in medicine, but will disclosure laws fix the problem or add to the confusion?