How Prevalent is Conflict of Interest in the Medical Profession?

Klaus Lieb

Allegiance to a particular form of therapy or financial ties to a pharmaceutical company are among the phenomena that can undermine a physician’s primary goal, to provide the best possible treatment for his or her patients. In this video, KLAUS LIEB explores the ways in which conflicts of interest occur for both physicians and medical researchers before providing some suggestions as to how they might be avoided. Employing methods including surveys, systematic reviews and a randomized controlled trial, Lieb finds that conflict of interest has a notable influence in several of the areas studied. Demonstrating that educating medical students about the dangers of conflict of interest can go a long way towards reducing its impact, Lieb’s work provides important food for thought for physicians, medical researchers and regulatory bodies.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10747

Researcher

Klaus Lieb is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center, Mainz and Managing Director of the German Resilience Center (DRZ). His main research interests include clinical resilience research and cognitive enhancement and conflicts of interest in medical practice and research. A member of the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association (DCGMA), Lieb is the author of several books including Conflicts of Interest, Corruption and Compliance in the Health Service (MWV, 2018). The recipient of a Golden Helix award in 2004, Lieb was awarded the Hamburger Prize for his work on Personality Disorders in 2013.

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is committed to the spirit of its namesake in promoting innovative ideas, in inspiring people, and in using knowledge to transcend boundaries. With more than 31,000 students, JGU is one of the largest universities in Germany. As a comprehensive university, it embraces almost all academic disciplines and also maintains a Medical Center. At JGU, some 4,150 academics, among them 540 professors, research and teach at more than 150 departments, institutes, and clinics. Furthermore, the integration of two art schools is unique in the German higher education sector. Mainz University is an internationally recognized research university. It owes its reputation to its outstanding researchers and their excellent achievements in particle and hadron physics, materials sciences, translational medicine, life sciences, and historical cultural studies. The university's PRISMA + Cluster of Excellence, where primarily particle and hadron physicists collaborate, is at the cutting edge of international research.