McGill.CA / Continuing Professional Development / Personnes / Accreditation / 8. Declaration of Conflict of Interest (CoI)

Guidelines - Declaration of Potential Conflict of Interest

The National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities describes the process and requirements for gathering, managing, and disclosing conflicts of interest (COI) to participants.

1. Definitions

  • Conflict of interest: A COI is a set of conditions in which judgement or decisions concerning a primary interest (e.g., patient welfare, validity of research, quality of medical education) are unduly influenced by a secondary interest (personal or organizational benefit including financial gain, academic or career advancement, or other benefits to family, friends, or colleagues);
  • Perceived conflict of interest: A perceived COI is the appearance of a COI as judged by outside observers regardless of whether an actual conflict of interest exists;
  • Real conflict of interest: A real COI is when two or more interests are indisputably in conflict.

2. National Standard Element 3: Conflict of Interest

This element describes the processes and requirements for gathering, managing and disclosing conflicts of interest to participants.

3.1 All members of the scientific planning committee (SPC), speakers, moderators, facilitators and authors must provide to the CPD provider organization a written description of all relationships with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations over the previous 2 years including (but not necessarily limited to):

a) Any direct financial payments including receipt of honoraria;

b) Membership on advisory boards or speakers’ bureaus;

c) Funded grants or clinical trials;

d) Patents on a drug, product or device; and

e) All other investments or relationships that could be seen by a reasonable, well-informed participant as having the potential to influence the content of the educational activity.

3.2 The SPC is responsible to review all disclosed financial relationships of speakers, moderators, facilitators and authors in advance of the CPD activity to determine whether action is required to manage potential or real conflicts of interest. The SPC must also have procedures in place to be followed if a conflict of interest comes to its attention prior to or during the CPD activity.

3.3 All members of the SPC, speakers, moderators, facilitators, and authors, must disclose to participants their relationships as described in 3.1.

3.4 Any individual who fails to disclose their relationships as described in 3.1 and 3.3 cannot participate as a member of the SPC, speaker, moderator, facilitator or author of an accredited CPD activity.

3. Examples of relationships with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to declare (non-exhaustive list)

  • Any direct financial interest in a for-profit and/or non-profit organization such as, a pharmaceutical organization, medical devices company or communications firm, including receipt of honoraria;
  • Membership on advisory boards or speakers’ bureaus or similar;
  • Funded grants or participated in clinical trials;
  • Investments held in the for-profit and/or non-profit organization;
  • Holding a patent for a product that is marketed by a for-profit and/or non-profit organization.

Failure to disclose or false declarations may require the Scientific Planning Committee to replace the presenter.

4. When to submit the completed CoI forms

It is the responsibility of the activity organizer to have the Declaration of Potential Conflict of Interest Disclosure (CoI) form completed by each resource person: scientific and organizing planning committee members, presenters, trainers, facilitators, moderators, authors, etc... Also, the organizer must make sure that disclosure statements are done verbally and displayed in writing on slides at the beginning of an activity and/or each presentation.

4.1 Scientific Committee

Completed forms for each scientific planning committee member must be submitted to McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Office for Continuing Professional Development at the same time as the CPD accreditation/certification application package.

At the start of each activity, the members of the scientific planning committee must present their conflict of interest declarations verbally and displayed in writing on slides.

4.2 Organizing Committee

Completed forms for each organizing planning committee member must be submitted to McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Office for Continuing Professional Development at the same time as the CPD accreditation/certification application form.

4.3 Resource Persons

These completed forms must be submitted to the scientific planning committee of the CPD activity. It is the role of the scientific planning committee to review all disclosed financial relationships of speakers, moderators, facilitators and authors in advance of the CPD activity to determine whether action is required to manage potential, perceived, or real COIs. The scientific planning committee must also have procedures in place to be followed if a COI comes to its attention prior to or during the CPD activity.

In addition, at the beginning of each presentation, the presenter must declare for-profit and/or non-profit organization affiliations verbally and display in writing on slides as per the following.

5. Sample Slides

Slide 1 - Activity

  • Insert Activity Name.

Slide 2 - Conflict of Interest Declarations: Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) Members

For each SPC member:

  • Insert their name;
  • List all relationships/affiliations with for-profit and/or non-profit organizations.

Ensure that the statements on the slide are identical to the CoI forms:

  • Grants/Research support: PharmaCorp ABC, CDN Cancer Org.;
  • Speakers’ bureau or advisory board memberships: XYZ Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.;
  • Patents for drugs or devices: Widget ABC;
  • Other: Employee of XXY Hospital Group, consultant for XYZ.

Slide 3 - Disclosure of Financial Support for Overall Program

As per the National Standard, use the authorized acknowledgment statements:

  • This program has received an educational grant from (names of funding organizations);
  • This program has received in-kind support from (names of funding organizations) or;
  • This program has received an educational grant and in-kind support from (names of funding organizations).

Slide 4 - Mitigation of Potential Bias

In accordance with the National Standard, standard 3.2, declare the strategies discussed by the scientific planning committee to manage or mitigate the identified potential sources of bias prior to or during the CPD activity.

Example

The scientific planning committee may ask:

  • The speaker to alter the focus of the talk to limit the areas where potential sources of bias is significant;
  • To change the topic, but the same speaker be used;
  • For a peer review of the content to ensure that the principles of scientific integrity, objectivity and balance have been respected.

Slide 5 - Learning Objectives: Overall Program

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • List three...;
  • Describe the physical attributes of...;
  • To provide chronic disease management in... 

Slide 6 - Presentation

  • Insert Presentation Title.

Slide 7 - Conflict of Interest Declarations: Presenters

For each presenter:

  • Insert their name;
  • List all relationships/affiliations with for-profit and/or non-profit organizations.

Ensure that the statements on the slide are identical to the CoI forms: 

  • Grants/Research support: PharmaCorp ABC, CDN Cancer Org.;
  • Speakers’ bureau or advisory board memberships: XYZ Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.;
  • Patents for drugs or devices: Widget ABC;
  • Other: Employee of XXY Hospital Group, consultant for XYZ.

Slide 8 - Learning Objectives: Presentation

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • Recognize...;
  • Interpret the physical characteristics of...;
  • Give directions...

Slide 9 - CanMEDS Competency Framework

Verbally and displayed on a slide, notify the audience of the CanMED competencies that will be identified during your presentation.

6. What should be declared when there are no commercial affiliations to disclose?

  • Under the heading relationships with for-profit and/or not-for-profit organization, indicate: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations;
  • If the activity/presentation has received no commercial support (including funding for food, logistics, AV set-up, etc.), insert: No Commercial Support was received for this CPD activity.

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