ASN Policy on Managing Conflicts of Interest

The federal government, foundations, associations, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are examining the relationships between physicians and “commercial interests,” particularly biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies (Table 1). Discovering a lack of “systematic information” about conflicts of interest (COI) and commercial bias, IOM recently recommended that the federal government study the effect of such conflicts “on the quality of medical research, education, and practice.”1View this table:Table 1. Recent activity concerning COI and commercial biasThe American Society of Nephrology (ASN) shares IOM's concern over the lack of data related to COI and agrees that more research is needed. However, even in the absence of concrete information, it is the responsibility of a professional society to try to understand the extent to which COI interface with its missions. Perhaps no single aspect of COI for societies and those who represent them is as visible and subject to scrutiny as continuing medical education (CME).The longest phase of the educational continuum for physicians, CME is also a critical element of the country's health care system. “Given the accelerating pace of change in clinical information and technology, continuing education has never been more important,” observed the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation.2 By providing a preponderance of CME, professional societies such as ASN improve the quality of health care.3In addition to CME, societies like ASN provide access to new knowledge by publishing peer-reviewed journals, support basic and clinical investigation through research grants, and advocate for the development of national health policies. To support these missions, many societies—including ASN—solicit funding from commercial interests.Although some have argued that professional societies should begin to eliminate such funding, others have suggested that such a restriction “would marginalize critical roles that industry, and many physicians working in industry, play in critical medical research alliances.”3,4 …