WG // Conflict of Interests

The relationship between industry and medical societies has been widely studied by the international literature and has been recognized as a potential condition for biases and conflicts of interest.

Despite this scenario, little is known about the relationship between medical societies and industry in Europe.

A recent research, conducted by a team of italian residents in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, analyzed the relationship between industry and medical societies through the assessment of the Italian medical societies’ websites.

The aim of this study is to extend this research to nine European countries part of Euronet MRPH, a network of Public Health Trainees, addressing the conflict of interest between medical societies and industry in a comparative setting.  

In addition to its scholarly contribution that will enhance the understanding of the nature of this relationship, the study has implications for the development of policy regulating the relationship between industry and medical societies, from disclosure requirements, to restriction on what industries can fund, among others.

Proposed timeline
July 2016 - January 2017: Team building and writing of the draft.
February 2017 - July 2017: Data collection.
July 2017 - December 2017: Data analysis and writing of the paper.

Participants
Coordinator: Stefano Guicciardi (Italy)
Scientific support: Prof. Dagmar Radin (Croatia), Alice Fabbri, PhD Student (Italy)
Croatia: Damir Ivankovic, Zeljka Drausnik
France: Sorina Dana Mihailescu, Jordan Scheer, Andrea Fiordaliso
Ireland: Chantal Migone, Naomi Petty-Saphon
Italy: Sergio Cinocca Claudia Marotta
Slovenia: Matej Vinko, Petra Klepac
Spain: Efrain Pantoja Bustillos, Rafael Ruiz Montero, Raquel González Rubio
United Kingdom: Alberto Mateo Urdiales, Alice Puchades

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