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Conflicts of Interest in Plastic Surgery Journals: A Python-Assisted Evaluation of Self-Reported Disclosures
Michael R Ruta1, Hannah Mahanti2, W Nicholas Jungbauer3
1From the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.
Annals of Plastic Surgery
|May 29, 2026
Summary
Plastic surgeons frequently underreport financial relationships, with most authors showing discrepancies between self-disclosures and the Open Payments database. This highlights a need for improved conflict-of-interest reporting in medical research.
Area of Science:
- Medical research integrity
- Surgical ethics
- Financial disclosure in medicine
Background:
- Conflicts of interest can compromise clinical research integrity.
- The Open Payments Program promotes transparency in physician-industry financial ties.
- Prior studies revealed discrepancies in plastic surgeon financial disclosures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess current accuracy of conflict-of-interest disclosures by plastic surgeons.
- To compare contemporary disclosure trends with historical data.
- To introduce an automated tool for reviewing self-disclosures.
Main Methods:
- Reviewed articles from Aesthetic Surgery Journal and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2017-2022).
- Aggregated self-reported disclosures for plastic surgeon authors.
- Compared disclosures against the Open Payments database using Python.
Main Results:
- 8040 articles reviewed; 961 authors and 4226 authorships analyzed.
- 5802 discrepancies identified; 78.6% of authors had at least one.
- Authors with discrepancies received significantly higher median payments ($9600 vs $2500).
- Senior authors were more likely to have reporting discrepancies.
Conclusions:
- Plastic surgeon authors continue to underreport financial relationships.
- Automated screening tools can aid in identifying disclosure discrepancies.
- Enhanced self-reporting is crucial for maintaining research integrity.
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