Financial conflicts of interest are frequently underreported in interventional radiology research, raising the risk of biased findings, according to a new analysis.
Prior studies have pointed to the business relationships between clinicians and the research industry as a potential source of such conflicts. While those relationships are valuable in the pursuit of imaging and other medical advances, they may also affect findings, experts noted Oct. 28 in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
For the study, researchers reviewed all publications in Volume 30 (2019) of JVIR in order to estimate the number of COI disclosures. They also took into consideration the top 10 most cited studies investigating the 10 most common image-guided procedures with available physician payment data.
A total of 397 publications were examined. Of those, 114 (29%) contained positive COI disclosures. Standards of Practice and device-focused publications held the most disclosures. Of the 396 authors, 383 (97%) neglected to disclose at least one active (average 2.6) financial relationship. The study found that the average undisclosed payment amount per publication was $57,937.
“Underreporting of COIs is an important issue given the risk of bias and undermining public trust. Multiple studies have shown that even small gifts can effect physician behavior,” wrote Lee J. Hsieh, with the School of Medicine at the University of California San Diego, and co-authors wrote. “With incomplete disclosure, it is difficult to understand and adjust for potential biases in the evidence used to make healthcare decisions, particularly considering that publications in more widely shared and higher impact journals are more likely to have positive COI disclosures.”
Conflicts of interest are particularly troublesome in interventional radiology, possibly due to clinician relationships with device groups, the study shows. This research also indicates that such incidences are frequently underreported.
You can read the detailed information on this study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.