The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. (image via college's Web site)

The University of Iowas Caver College of Medicine has one of the countrys strictest conflict of interest policies limiting industry-related gifts, meals, drug samples and payments for things like travel, according to a new industry report.

The Institute on Medicine as a Profession has released a new study comparing changes in schools conflict of interest policies from 2008 to 2011. The report reveals that most U.S. medical schools have made some strides, but still lag behind national standards.

Only 16 percent including the UI met standards in at least half of the 12 areas studied. No school met all the standards, according to the report published in the October issue of Academic Medicine.

The new report comes in response to an earlier study showing few medical schools have policies regulating conflicts even though research has shown industry ties can bias doctor decisions and compromise patient care. Schools have tried to better manage physician ties to the pharmaceutical and device industries, according to the report, but most programs still have less-than-stringent policies.

The top five medical schools that come closest to meeting national standards include UI Carver College of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston University School of Medicine and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine.

Schools with the weakest policies include Saint Louis University School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, University of Nebraska College of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Areas under the conflict-of-interest umbrella that were reviewed for the recent study include gifts, meals, vendors, samples, purchasing, travel, consulting, scholarships and ghostwriting.

When the groups research began in 2008, no policy was the most common finding in many of the areas, according to an institute news release. By 2011, nearly all the schools had addressed that, with just 2 percent reporting having no policies.

Still, the portion of schools with strong policies barely crept up, prompting officials to urge further improvement across the board.

Original post:

Iowa medical school among nation’s best in managing conflicts of interest