What Do Clinical Professors of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Know About Conflict of Interest in the Fields of Research, Education, and Treatment? A Qualitative Study

Conflict of interest is a situation in which professional judgment about a primary interest is unjustifiably affected by a secondary one; therefore, it is a subject that occurs objectively. Also, conflict of interest is not inherently immoral; however, the way to deal with these conflicts is a matter of professional ethics.

The present qualitative study was conducted at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran during the spring and summer of 2019. Samples were selected from the clinical professors of the university using purposive sampling until informational redundancy or saturation was achieved. Research data was obtained through face-to-face interviews with the professors and were analyzed using the method of Elo and Kyngas.

Three main categories of conflict of interest in research, education, and treatment as well as 19 themes were extracted from 16 interviews. In the present study, 10 professors had a clear definition of the conflict of interest in all three categories and the other 6 fail to provide a comprehensive one.

The issue of conflict of interest and its implications in various fields should be seriously introduced to medical students, physicians, and researchers due to its widespread and destructive effects. Also, a framework is suggested to be provided to clarify the importance and increase awareness of the subject and explain comprehensive and operational rules for dealing with its potential adverse effects. In the interview, the participants were introduced to the topic of conflict of interest.