ArticlePloS one2013
Too few, too weak: conflict of interest policies at Canadian medical schools.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- The hidden influence: Medical students' knowledge and attitude of conflict of interest-A cross-sectional study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.PloS one · 2025Article
- Conflicts of Interest of Canadian Medical School Deans: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2024Article
- Pharmaceutical company responses to Canadian opioid advertising restrictions: A framing analysis.PloS one · 2023Article
- Article
- Conflict of interest policies at Belgian medical faculties: Cross-sectional study indicates little oversight.PloS one · 2021Article
- Quantity and quality of conflict of interest policies at German medical schools: a cross-sectional study and survey.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications: what the Canadian medical trainee needs to know.Canadian medical education journal · 2019Article
- Inadequate conflict of interest policies at most French teaching hospitals: A survey and website analysis.PloS one · 2019Article
- Drug samples in family medicine teaching units: a cross-sectional descriptive study: Part 1: drug sample management policies and the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and residents in Quebec.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2018Article
- Scientism in Medical Education and the Improvement of Medical Care: Opioids, Competencies, and Social Accountability.Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy · 2018Article
- Article
- Examining patterns in medication documentation of trade and generic names in an academic family practice training centre.BMC medical education · 2017Article
- Medical student and medical school teaching faculty perceptions of conflict of interest.BMC research notes · 2017Article
- Article
- A Better Prescription: Advice for a National Strategy on Pharmaceutical Policy in Canada.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2016Article
- Unhealthy marketing of pharmaceutical products: An international public health concern.Journal of public health policy · 2016Article
- Article
- Teaching Conflict: Professionalism and Medical Education.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2015Article
- Ethics, morality, and conflicting interests: how questionable professional integrity in some scientists supports global corporate influence in public health.International journal of occupational and environmental health · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe education of medical students should be based on the best clinical information available, rather than on commercial interests. Previous research looking at university-wide conflict of interest (COI) policies used in Canadian medical schools has shown very poor regulation. An analysis of COI policies was undertaken to document the current policy environment in all 17 Canadian medical schools.
methodsA web search was used to initially locate COI policies supplemented by additional information from the deans of each medical school. Strength of policies was rated on a scale of 0 to 2 in 12 categories and also on the presence of enforcement measures. For each school, we report scores for all 12 categories, enforcement measures, and summative scores.
resultsCOI policies received summative scores that ranged from 0 to 19, with 0 the lowest possible score obtainable and 24 the maximum. The highest mean scores per category were for disclosure and ghostwriting (0.9) and for gifts and scholarships (0.8). DISCUSSION: This study provides the first comprehensive evaluation of all 17 Canadian medical school-specific COI policies. Our results suggest that the COI policy environment at Canadian medical schools is generally permissive. Policy development is a dynamic process. We therefore encourage all Canadian medical schools to develop restrictive COI policies to ensure that their medical students are educated based on the best clinical evidence available, free of industry biases and COI relationships that may influence the future medical thinking and prescribing practices of medical students in Canada once they graduate.
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