BIAS Flashcards
what is conflict of intertest
A situation in which a person is (or persons are) in a position to
derive personal benefit and unfair advantage from actions or
decisions made in their official capacity
what is researcher bias
Any factor—such as investment in the product being studied or
gifts from the product manufacturer—that might influence the
researcher to favour certain results
Why is conflict of interest a problem
ndustry may influence the design, analyses, and results of studies for financial gain
(e.g., due to increased sales of the product due to favourable findings)
Does this mean researchers and industry can never work together?
No: lots of high-quality research is funded by industry in partnership with
academics and conducted in an impartial manner.
Researchers are required to be transparent about funding sources and any
potential conflicts of interest.
Researchers reveal potential conflicts of interest that could affect the integrity of
their research when they submit their results for publication in scientific journals.
ways to minimise bias
Journals enforce disclosure requirements and penalize anyone who does not disclose.
* Prevent industry influencing research design, data analysis, and interpretation of findings.
* Develop more accurate measurements to reduce self-report and recall bias.
* More funding for well-designed, large-scale, long-term RCTs that examine cause and effect
* Improve transparency by:
* Researchers providing access to datasets from studies for re-analysis by other researchers.
* All RCTs must be registered (methods described) and results/data made accessible to all.
* Require journals to publish studies with negative findings.
* Avoid using language implying causation when the results are indicative of associations.
* Support researchers and journalists to work together to help the general public gain a more
complete understanding of what studies are really telling us.
