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Bias in the evaluation of conflict of interest policies
Zachariah Sharek1, Robert E Schoen, George Loewenstein
1Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
Abstract:
Physicians are affected by the conflict of interest (COI) policies they help formulate. This study examines whether physicians evaluate these policies impartially. One hundred and seventy-nine physicians, 224 financial advisors, and 1,430 members of the general public evaluated the fairness and efficacy of a COI policy in either a medical or financial context. Physicians were more critical of the medical COI policy compared to a financial COI policy, while financial professionals displayed the reverse pattern and control respondents rated both policies similarly. This suggests a bias against COI policies by those who will be directly affected.
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