New Rules Sought for Medical Research

Study to examine disclosure to patients about conflict of interest

FRIDAY, Oct. 1, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Conflicts of interest in medical research is the focus of a $3 million government-funded study at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

The four-year Conflict of Interest Notification Study (COINS) will examine how best to disclose medical research conflicts of interest to potential research participants. COINS will provide the framework for establishing policy and practices for disclosing conflict of interest in medical research.

"Conflicts of interest can be present in otherwise ethically acceptable research provided that these conflicts are managed. This often includes disclosing them to patients who are deciding whether or not to participate in research," COINS leader Dr. Jeremy Sugarman said in a prepared statement.

"Ultimately, we want to have guidelines for when, where and how researchers should disclose any conflicts of interest to patients. We also want to track these disclosures and learn how they influence patients' decisions about their care," Sugarman said.

More information

The American Medical Association has more about medical research.

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