In a recent blog I shared promotional material hosted by the BMJ. This material included videos of a symposium held at the Royal Society of Medicine:
The Royal Society of Medicine home page states that “The Royal Society of Medicine is one of the UK’s leading providers of continuing learning for healthcare professionals”:
The Royal Society of Medicine describes its approach to working with commerce and industry as follows:
It goes on to say:
The Royal Society of Medicine provides sponsorship and exhibition opportunities for commercial organisations:
The voluntary database: DISCLOSURE UK was set up to “increase transparency between pharmaceutical companies and the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals and organisations it works with.” According to this database, the total declarations for event sponsorship by industry between 2021 and 2023 to the Royal Society of Medicine amounted to £621,673.84
The Royal Society of Medicine has developed Standards and Criteria for Continuing Professional Development which state:
The Royal Society of Medicine does not make it clear how it ensures this criterion is met. Research into conflicts of interest in medical education has consistently demonstrated bias, along with a persistent denial by medical professionals that any such bias exists.
As “leading providers of continuing learning for healthcare professionals” the Royal Society of Medicine provides a platform for commercial organisations to promote their products. A recent example of sponsored educational material failed to be open about uncertainties and the potential for harm to patients.
Given its influential position, the Royal Society of Medicine has a responsibility to do better. It should not be perpetuating the myth that industry sponsored education is unbiased. It is time that marketing was removed from medical education.
The Royal Society of Medicine has multiple entries on the Disclosure UK database. Those for the last 3 years are shared in the slideshow below. For a number of reasons it is possible that some declarations are not included.