Non-financial conflicts of interest: contribution to a surgical dilemma by the European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases
link.springer.com shows its articles on its own site.
Read the article on link.springer.com ↗Article · Jul 2019 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This review examines non-financial conflicts of interest in pediatric surgery for rare diseases, particularly how surgical volume affects treatment quality. The authors propose that European Reference Networks provide a framework for managing these conflicts through structured referral protocols to high-volume centers.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Purpose
Conflicts of interest can impede both research and medical treatment. The European Reference Networks require their members to deal with financial and non-financial conflicts according to an explicit protocol. In a literature review, we identified relevant interests in paediatric surgery, and drafted such a policy.
Methods
We conducted a Pubmed query and identified additional publications based on the content of the papers.
Results
58 titles were identified. According to their abstracts, 10 publications were studied in full text. A scientific taxonomy does not yet exist, but a variety of factors are mentioned. Non-financial conflicts of interest are addressed less accurately and less frequently than financial ones, especially regarding surgical treatment. Since the clinical effect of surgical volume was identified as being relevant, additional 29 respective publications were analysed. This volume-quality relationship causes conflicts of interest for the many surgeons treating a broad spectrum of rare conditions. We present a recommendation that may guide referral of patients requiring complex surgery to centres with a higher volume.
Conclusions
Non-financial conflicts of interest need to be dealt with more accuracy, especially with regard to surgery in rare, complex congenital conditions. The European Reference Networks offer a framework to mitigate these conflicts.