Policies on doctors’ declaration of interests in medical organisations: a thematic analysis (8 June 2023)

Summary

There has been growing concern about doctors’ conflicts of interests (COIs) but it is unclear what processes and tools exist to enable the consistent declaration and management of such interests. This study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine mapped existing policies across a variety of organisations and settings to better understand the degree of variation and identify opportunities for improvement.

The analysis of organisational policies revealed wide variation in what interests should be declared, when and how. This variation suggests that the current system may not be adequate to maintain a high level of professional integrity in all settings and that there is a need for better standardisation that reduces the risk of errors while addressing the needs of doctors, organisations and the public.