Health services researchers and policy analysts strive to generate and disseminate reliable research that informs policy and practice. Maintaining integrity in this process can be challenging as research endeavors become increasingly commercial, take place in a variety of settings, involve various stakeholders, draw on multiple funding sources, and involve judgment where bias and personal interests can affect data. Conflicts of interest can easily arise and threaten the integrity and credibility of the research, researchers, funders, and the field as a whole. It is important that researchers be able to identify these conflicts of interest and know how to manage them when they arise.

AcademyHealth, with support from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Research Integrity, developed a Curriculum Module that can be used by individuals and institutions to evaluate their own behavior, update their policies, educate their trainees, and guide the management of difficult ethical situations. This module is based on AcademyHealth's Ethical Guidelines for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Health Services Research, which were developed by the Ethical Guidelines Committee (“Committee”), a higly-regarded panel of individuals from a variety of organizations reflecting a wide range of disciplines. 

The module is designed to engage the user through a participatory group discussion and includes “ready to use” materials that can be modified for different classroom applications and degree program levels.

You may access sections of the ethics module using the navigation to the left.  Alternatively, you may view or download a PDF of the complete module.  This module includes an evaluation form that may be used to assess the exercise if used in a classroom environment.