Many US medical schools do not have policies to address potential conflicts of interest, according to a study published last week (S. H. Ehringhaus et al. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 299, 665–671; 2008).

In a survey by Susan Ehringhaus, associate general counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges, and her colleagues, just 38% of the 86 medical schools that responded reported having a policy in place that covers their financial interests, such as royalties and stocks. Another 37% of schools said that they were working on developing a policy.

The numbers rose markedly when the schools were asked whether they had policies to cover individuals: 71% of the schools had policies for senior officials and 66% had them in place for governing board members.