Medical Journal Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Other Issues

November 18, 2009 | by

Author disclosure of financial associations with commercial entities that have an interest in the research published in medical journals is common practice. The information provided in the disclosure helps readers assess the degree of commercial influence over the work. Recently, however, differing journal policies have led to unintentional omissions and there have been calls for medical journals to standardize their conflict of interest policies.

conflict-of-interest

HelixGene Foundation to Ensure Responsible Reporting of Genomic Medicine

September 28, 2008 | by

Traditional media (i.e. television, print) are the principal sources of science information for the public. This is changing however; adult home broadband users under the age of 30 report that the internet is the most popular source for science news and information [1]. Unfortunately, while the public is consuming science reporting today more than ever before, the media is doing a poorer job covering the field. This is particularly troublesome for genomic medicine and personal genetics, since many physicians who lack training in genomics and genetics frequently get their information from the same mainstream media sources as the public.

Genomic medicine is the use of information from the genome to guide the development of new therapeutics and directly influence patient care.
Personal genetics is the use of a person’s genetic makeup to predict health risks and provide ancestry information.

The Trust and Credibility of Healthcare Blogs

April 16, 2007 | by

A recent survey from Zogby International finds that more than half of Americans (55%) believe bloggers are important to the future of American journalism and 74% said that citizen journalism and Web 2.0 websites such as NowPublic will play a vital new role [1].