Speaker Policy

Conflict of Interest

The CME program's policy to identify and resolve conflicts of interest is drawn from the School's Conflict of Interest Policy adopted November 2008. An individual who refuses to disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified from being a planning committee member, a presenter or an author of CME and cannot have control of, or responsibility for, the development, management, presentation or evaluation of a CME activity. 

Conflict of Interest Resolution

If the speaker discloses a conflict of interest, the speaker must submit their CV/ Resume and the presentation for the activity to the CME Coordinator and activity coordinator. At this time, the CME Coordinator and the CME Director will review the presentation for any bias. A Resolution will be provided to the activity coordinator and activity chair upon approval or disapproval of the presentation and/or content. 

Content Validity

Speakers must assure that any clinical recommendations made are valid for use in the care of patients by completing and signing the attestation form, also available in the conflict of interest disclosure or presenter packet. All scientific research referred to, reported in, or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis. The following must be adhered to: 

• Clinical care recommendations must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their use
• All the recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients
• A recommendation on clinical care must be more than firmly held beliefs or hopes for efficacy
• Data or information accepted within the profession of medicine must support the recommendation
• The conclusions drawn from the data must be those that would be reasonably drawn from those data

The validation of clinical content does not mean that every clinician in the country accepts the recommendation or that the recommendation is part of FDA-labeling. An important part of validity is the scientific integrity of the data from which the conclusions are drawn, and the clinical recommendations crafted. 

Copyright

Copyright law gives an author the exclusive right to reproduce, sell, distribute, revise, display, perform, broadcast or record a work. Any reproduction or other use of a work either must be done with the permission of the copyright owner or must be permitted by an exception contained in the Copyright Act. See Wright State University's Copyright Guide for more information. 

CV/Resume

Speakers who are not current BSOM faculty must submit a current CV or resume with the conflict of interest disclosure. 

Discussion of Unapproved Uses

If unapproved (unlabeled) uses are discussed during the CME activity, the speaker must disclose that the product is not approved in the United States for the use under discussion. 

Honoraria

See Honoraria and Reimbursement policy. 

Limitations of Data

The speaker must disclose any limitations on the information that is presented, such as data that represent ongoing research, interim analysis, preliminary data, or unsupported opinion. 

Opportunities for Debate

During the CME presentation, the speaker will open the floor for scientific debate or questioning. 

Statement of Purpose

The speaker agrees that the CME activity is for scientific or educational purposes. Any discussion of a company's products will be objective, balanced, and scientifically rigorous. 

Technical Assistance

Speakers may seek limited technical assistance from commercial supporters in preparing slides or audiovisual materials but must not let the company influence the content of the program. 

For More Information

Individuals involved in CME events are encouraged to visit National Faculty Education Initiative web site to take a free 30-minute tutorial on eliminating commercial bias from CME presentations. 

Another resource for information for those who plan and participate in CME and improvement programs is the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The AAMC CME website is a guide to employ best educational methods of quality improvement and performance improvement principles to close the clinical care gap.