American Medical Student Association Releases 2016 Scorecard
Media Contact:
Rebekah Apple, Senior Manager of Programs
American Medical Student Association
Phone: (703) 665-4786
Email: pr@amsa.org
Sterling, VA – December 1, 2016: Medical schools are continuing to strengthen their conflict of interest policies regarding pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, according to the 2016 AMSA Scorecard. However, once again, no school received a perfect score on the assessment.
Of the 173 U.S. medical schools evaluated, 24 percent earned an A grade, up from 17 percent in the 2014 assessment. Another 44 percent received a B, while 16 percent earned a C. An additional 16 percent received an “Incomplete” rating, either because they did not submit policies for review or because their submitted policies did not fully address all domains of the assessment.
The AMSA Scorecard—a project launched in 2007—provides a quick-reference dashboard of institutional conflict-of-interest policies at medical schools. “AMSA recognizes the importance of unbiased training in medical education and its impact on patient care. We enter this profession to help others, and to do so effectively, we must ensure our learning is grounded in evidence and science, not shaped by market forces or industry influence,” says Dr. Kelly Thibert, AMSA’s national president.
The scorecard evaluates schools across 14 domains, including industry funding of meals, gifts, scholarships, and faculty speaking engagements. This year, the greatest improvements were seen in three key areas: industry funding of continuing medical education, industry funding of meals, and industry funding of scholarships. In the scholarships category, for example, a perfect score requires that schools refuse all industry funding for students attending conferences. This year, 16 schools met that standard, up from just three in 2014.
While no school achieved a perfect score across all domains, four came close: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Indiana University School of Medicine, and the University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences Pritzker School of Medicine. Each scored 96 percent, meaning they met the highest standards in all but two of the 14 domains assessed.
“The scorecard reflects AMSA’s dedication to ensuring medical students understand the level of professionalism and ethical standards upheld by academic institutions,” says Dr. Jay Bhatt, chairman of the American Medical Student Association Foundation. “We are encouraged to see schools continuing to refine their conflict-of-interest policies and their willingness to share this critical information.”
To request an executive summary of this year’s AMSA Scorecard, learn more about its methodology or hear from a trainee about the risks of conflict of interest in medical education, contact Pete Thomson at pr@amsa.org or (703) 665-4786. The scorecard itself can be found at http://amsascorecard.org.
About AMSA:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://amsa.org.
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