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Shrier I, Impellizzeri FM, Stovitz SD. Identifying and Minimizing Incentives for Competing Interests in Sports Medicine Publications. Sports Med 2024:10.1007/s40279-024-02037-w. [PMID: 38714641 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-024-02037-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024]
Abstract
Academics in sports medicine as well as other medical fields are generally expected to publish research and opinions in peer-reviewed journals. The peer-review process is intended to protect against the publication of flawed research and unsubstantiated claims. However, both financial and non-financial competing interests may result in sub-optimal results by affecting investigators, editors, peer reviewers, academic institutions, and publishers. In this article, we focus on the non-financial competing interests created in our current academic system. Because these competing interests are embedded in our current scholastic framework, the potential biases are difficult to quantify. To minimize the effect of these competing interests, we review and highlight some underlying incentives for each stakeholder and some potential solutions to mitigate their effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Shrier
- Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, 3755 Cote Sainte Catherine Road, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, Canada.
| | - Franco M Impellizzeri
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Steven D Stovitz
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA
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Wiersma M, Kerridge IH, Lipworth W. Perspectives on non-financial conflicts of interest in health-related journals: A scoping review. Account Res 2024:1-37. [PMID: 38602335 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2024.2337046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The objective of this scoping review was to systematically review the literature on how non-financial conflicts of interest (nfCOI) are defined and evaluated, and the strategies suggested for their management in health-related and biomedical journals. PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for peer reviewed studies published in English between 1970 and December 2023 that addressed at least one of the following: the definition, evaluation, or management of non-financial conflicts of interest. From 658 studies, 190 studies were included in the review. nfCOI were discussed most commonly in empirical (22%; 42/190), theoretical (15%; 29/190) and "other" studies (18%; 34/190) - including commentary, perspective, and opinion articles. nfCOI were addressed frequently in the research domain (36%; 68/190), publication domain (29%; 55/190) and clinical practice domain (17%; 32/190). Attitudes toward nfCOI and their management were divided into two distinct groups. The first larger group claimed that nfCOI were problematic and required some form of management, whereas the second group argued that nfCOI were not problematic, and therefore, did not require management. Despite ongoing debates about the nature, definition, and management of nfCOI, many articles included in this review agreed that serious consideration needs to be given to the prevalence, impact and optimal mitigation of non-financial COI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Wiersma
- Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian H Kerridge
- Haematology Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
| | - Wendy Lipworth
- Philosophy Department, Ethics and Agency Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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Severi K, Hawkins B. Policy Actors' Perceptions of Conflicts of Interest and Alcohol Industry Engagement in UK Policy Processes. Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:8068. [PMID: 38618829 PMCID: PMC11016281 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2024.8068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol industry organisations occupy a prominent position in UK alcohol policy, but their involvement has been contested by public health bodies on the basis that a conflict of interest (COI) exists between their economic objectives and those of public health. There are ongoing debates in the research literature about how to conceptualise COI and mitigate this in health research and practise. However, less attention has been paid to these issues in relation to the alcohol industry specifically. This article explores similarities and differences in beliefs among alcohol policy actors regarding COI and the implications of engagement with the alcohol industry in the context of UK public health policy. METHODS Semi-structured interviews with a range of policy actors (n=26) including medical professionals, parliamentarians, civil servants, academic researchers, health campaigners, and alcohol industry representatives. Interviews with alcohol industry representatives were supplemented with an analysis of industry responses to a public consultation. All data was thematically coded using NVivo software. RESULTS Two competing "coalitions" were identified, expressing beliefs about COI linked to alcohol industry engagement. Both divergent and convergent beliefs were expressed by the two coalitions in relation to the type of industry actor, form of engagement, the policy issue under discussion and the stage of policy process. CONCLUSION Alcohol policy is a complex and contested space in which policy actors have differing, nuanced and contingent understandings of COI and identify varying risks associated with alcohol industry engagement. In identifying the areas of convergence and diversion in both understanding and evaluation of COI in alcohol-specific settings, these findings will assist both decision-makers and non-governmental actors in developing policies and guidelines to manage potential COI in future.
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Schäffer A, Groh KJ, Sigmund G, Azoulay D, Backhaus T, Bertram MG, Carney Almroth B, Cousins IT, Ford AT, Grimalt JO, Guida Y, Hansson MC, Jeong Y, Lohmann R, Michaels D, Mueller L, Muncke J, Öberg G, Orellana MA, Sanganyado E, Schäfer RB, Sheriff I, Sullivan RC, Suzuki N, Vandenberg LN, Venier M, Vlahos P, Wagner M, Wang F, Wang M, Soehl A, Ågerstrand M, Diamond ML, Scheringer M. Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19066-19077. [PMID: 37943968 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP's success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP's work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel's work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel's activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor's role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP's activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schäffer
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, 210023 Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Chongqing University, 400045 Chongqing, China
| | - Ksenia J Groh
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel Sigmund
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - David Azoulay
- Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Washington, D.C. 20005, United States
| | - Thomas Backhaus
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Michael G Bertram
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 907 36, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Bethanie Carney Almroth
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ian T Cousins
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alex T Ford
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO4 9LY, United Kingdom
| | - Joan O Grimalt
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Yago Guida
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria C Hansson
- The Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Yunsun Jeong
- Division of Environmental Health, Korea Environment Institute (KEI), 30147 Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Rainer Lohmann
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02881, United States
| | - David Michaels
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Leonie Mueller
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Jane Muncke
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gunilla Öberg
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Marcos A Orellana
- Global Toxics and Human Rights Project, American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C. 20016, United States
| | - Edmond Sanganyado
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, United Kingdom
| | - Ralf Bernhard Schäfer
- Institute for Environmental Sciences Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, 76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Ishmail Sheriff
- School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Ryan C Sullivan
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217, United States
| | - Noriyuki Suzuki
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Marta Venier
- Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Penny Vlahos
- Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Martin Wagner
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Mengjiao Wang
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RN, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Soehl
- International Panel on Chemical Pollution, 8044 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marlene Ågerstrand
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3B1, Canada
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
- RECETOX, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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