Abstract

Objectives: To describe conflicts of interest in the medical profession, their pervasive nature, and the importance of transparency for the preservation of integrity and objectivity in medical practice and research.

Methods: For the substantiation of this article, different publications on the subject were reviewed, including editorials, ethical essays, philosophical treatises, and legal texts both national and international.

Results: According to the literature consulted, in the professional practice of medicine conflicts of interest are omnipresent, derive from various sources and can consciously or unconsciously alter medical practice.

Conclusion: Being open about one’s own conflicts of interest and properly declaring them allows everyone, including patients, colleagues, employers, and the public, to judge for themselves whether a particular relationship may be influencing a doctor’s actions.

Keywords: conflict of interest; physicians; remuneration; ethics; research.