Second, should the ACR standard for disclosure apply just to ACR CME activities or to all members who present CME lectures in any venue?
Third, your knowledge of the relationship between the speaker and industry leads you to think that, for some reason, the speaker has a motive to avoid full disclosure. What, if anything, is he trying to hide, and do you have an obligation to address your concerns with the speaker or the hospital sponsoring the CME activity?
Finally, do your misgivings about this speaker challenge the value of CME lectures in general, or do they reflect negatively only on this hospital and/or this speaker?
What are your thoughts on or reactions to this scenario? Please send your comments or questions to [email protected], and we will publish some of your responses in a future “Ethics Forum.”
Dr. Rubin is clinical professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and division head of rheumatology at Henry Ford Hospital, both in in Detroit.