Expert Committee for Transparency and Independence in Medicine
The aim of the expert committee for transparency and independence of the DCGMA is to promote the independence of doctors. It develops and disseminates strategies to prevent and manage conflicts of interest involving expert opinion in the various organs and bodies of self-government.
Conflicts of interest are defined as a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as a patient's welfare or the validity of research) tends to be unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain) (Thompson DF, N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 573–6). Conflicts of interest can be caused by various conditions, such as
- financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, or health insurance companies
- external funding of research
- membership in professional societies, professional political groups or adherence to particular disciplines (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy vs. psychodynamic therapy)
- remuneration incentives or an employment contract.
Conflicts of interest may jeopardize the quality of patient care as well as the integrity of medical research, the objectivity of professional education and public confidence in medicine.
The expert committee seeks to
- promote a culture of scientific independence within the medical profession
- support the development of an adequate understanding of conflicts of interest in the medical profession
- establish recommendations for the standardized recording and disclosing of conflicts of interest
- develop proposals for avoiding conflicts of interest
- produce proposals for a uniform and equitable handling of conflicts of interest in decisions, opinions, etc. of the respective committees.
Ordinary and extraordinary members of the DCGMA form the expert committee, chaired by Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb. The expert committee was established by a resolution of the Board of the German Medical Association on March 14, 2014.
Contact
Adress:
Drug Commission of the German Medical Association
Expert Committee for Transparency and Independence of the DCGMA
Herbert-Lewin-Platz 1
10623 Berlin
Phone: 030 400456-503
Fax: 030 400456-555
E-Mail: sekretariat@akdae.de
Organisation:
Dr. med. Gisela Schott, MPH
Claudia Drees
Introductional literature to the topic of conflicts of interest
Committee on Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice, Institute of Medicine: Lo B, Field MJ (Hrsg.): Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice.1. Aufl., Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 2009.
Lieb K, Brandtönies S: A Survey of German Physicians in Private Practice About Contacts With Pharmaceutical Sales RepresentativesDtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107: 392–398
DuBois JM, Kraus EM, Mikulec AA et al.: A humble task: restoring virtue in an age of conflicted interests.Acad Med 2013; 88:924–928.
Lieb K, Klemperer D, Ludwig W-D (Hrsg.): Interessenkonflikte in der Medizin: Hintergründe und Lösungsmöglichkeiten.Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2011.
Lieb K, Koch C: Einstellungen und Kontakte von Medizinstudierenden zur pharmazeutischen Industrie. Eine Befragung an acht deutschen Universitätskliniken.Dtsch Arztebl Int 2013; 110: 584–590.
Schott G, Pachl H, Limbach U et al.: The financing of drug trials by pharmaceutical companies and its consequences. Part 1: a qualitative, systematic review of the literature on possible influences on the findings, protocols, and quality of drug trials.Dtsch Arztebl 2010; 107: 279–85.
Schott G, Pachl H, Limbach U et al.: The financing of drug trials by pharmaceutical companies and its consequences. Part 2: a qualitative, systematic review of the literature on possible influences on authorship, access to trial data, and trial registration and publication.Dtsch Arztebl 2010; 107: 295–301.
Schott G, Dünnweber C, Mühlbauer B et al.: Besteht ein Einfluss pharmazeutischer Unternehmen auf Leitlinien? Zwei Beispiele aus Deutschland.Dtsch Arztebl Int 2013; 110: 575–583.
Schott G, Lieb K, König J, Mühlbauer B, Niebling W, Pachl H, Schmutz S, Ludwig W-D:Declaration and handling of conflicts of interest in guidelines—a study of S1 guidelines from German specialist societies from 2010–2013.Dtsch Arztebl Int 2015; 112: 445–451.