The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Position on Ethical Relationships with the Biomedical Industry

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) intended to encourage appropriate relationships between medicine and the biomedical industry, supports ethical research to improve patient care. Physician researchers, educators, and clinicians are required to practice ethical principles of beneficence, justice, and respect for patient autonomy, and interactions with the biomedical industry also should be based on these principles. The ethical treatment of research participants must remain the primary concern of the researchers. Investigators should disclose any and all personal financial stakes or collective interests to hold or trade stock in companies pertinent to their field of study or active investigation. Investigators should ensure accurate reporting of study results because refusal to permit or delay publication of findings is unacceptable. Biomedical companies should advertise only within the scope of FDA approval and must relate clear methods and accurate results of studies.