Attending conferences and the medical industry

Urologists attending conferences with financial assistance from the medical industry (adopted 27.08.06)

1. It is in the interests of the community, urologists and the medical industry that there are ethically acceptable ways of company funds supporting the professional work of urologists.

2. Support of urologists by companies which does not conform to professional and community standards and which is therefore not able to withstand public scrutiny is detrimental to urologists and to the medical industry. Urologists and companies each bear responsibility for ensuring community standards are not breached.

 3. Whatever policy and practices are agreed within the Society should be consistently applied across all parts of the Society.

 4. Outside of normal contractual arrangements to provide services where the expenses and remuneration form part of the contractual arrangements, Society members should not directly or indirectly accept travel, accommodation or conference registration expenses from companies unless those funds come as a result of a Society endorsed process.

5. The Society's head office and its Sections may accept funds from medical industry companies which are to be used to support travel and conference attendance by its members in Australia and overseas.

6. Any medical industry funds received for travel and conference attendance must be allocated by the Society or a Section in a competitive process the features of which are known at the time the availability of the funds is made known. The availability of the funds is to be publicised eg. email, to all Society members who may be eligible to apply.

7. Medical industry companies may suggest criteria that the Society or Section may take into account in the selection process. Under no circumstances can the company nominate the person or persons to receive the funds or so proscribe the conditions for receiving the funds that there can be little or no competition for the funds.

8. It is a requirement of receiving a travel and/or conference grant that the recipient shares knowledge with colleagues upon his/her return. Examples of this would be training seminars, section meeting or trainee week presentations, web-based reports available to colleagues, etc (When the CME program is available, it is possible that such funds can be used to assist facilitators/presenters within this program.) The method of sharing knowledge should be agreed BEFORE the grant is awarded and when grant winners are announced this information should be included.