Conflict of interest reporting in otolaryngology clinical practice guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have become increasingly important in recent years due to an increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice, as well as serious discussions in academic, medical, and legal circles about their possible role in measuring physician performance, setting provider reimbursement strategy, and establishing protection from litigation in the future. At the same time, CPGs are costly to develop. Thus, as CPGs gain influence in medical practice, it will become essential that CPGs are developed using trustworthy standards and that the authors of CPGs are not being unduly influenced by financial pressures from external stakeholders. Since 2004, the 9 CPGs sponsored by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation have been developed with full disclosure and appropriate management of potential financial conflicts of interest. This commentary discusses the potential for conflict of interest in otolaryngology CPGs and how the otolaryngology guideline development process can serve as a model for other professional medical organizations.