TY - JOUR
T1 - Female dermatology journal editors accepting pharmaceutical payments
T2 - An analysis of the Open Payments database, 2013 to 2018
AU - Haque, Waqas
AU - Haque, Eman
AU - Hsiehchen, David
N1 - Funding Information:
None. The author(s) confirm that any aspect of the work covered in this manuscript that has involved human patients has been conducted with the ethical approval of all relevant bodies.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Background: Pharmaceutical payments may affect the interpretation of clinical research and prescribing patterns of physicians. Additionally, they may reflect gender disparities in academic dermatology with regard to social recognition and opportunities for career advancement. Objective: We examined relationships with industry among male and female journal editors who accepted pharmaceutical payments in leading dermatology journals. Methods: We assessed the seven US journals among the leading 20 dermatology journals as determined by impact factor and gathered data via the CMS Open Payments dataset. Results: In a cross-sectional study of 329 editors eligible to appear in the Open Payments website, we found that 218 (66.3%) received industry payments totaling $21,952,402. The mean and median dollar value of payments per editor was $100,699 and $3,638 (interquartile range, $364-$57,108). Food and beverage payments accounted for 63.0% of the $28,992 total payments, and the associated dollar value was $887,617 (4.04%). Gender disparities in corporate payments were observed in other contexts, but we did not find a similar relationship among leading dermatology journals. Conclusion: Our work highlights that pharmaceutical payments exist among dermatology editors, providing a rationale for future research to address whether editor bias related to pharmaceutical payments exists and more granular studies on the role of gender with regard to navigating such payments.
AB - Background: Pharmaceutical payments may affect the interpretation of clinical research and prescribing patterns of physicians. Additionally, they may reflect gender disparities in academic dermatology with regard to social recognition and opportunities for career advancement. Objective: We examined relationships with industry among male and female journal editors who accepted pharmaceutical payments in leading dermatology journals. Methods: We assessed the seven US journals among the leading 20 dermatology journals as determined by impact factor and gathered data via the CMS Open Payments dataset. Results: In a cross-sectional study of 329 editors eligible to appear in the Open Payments website, we found that 218 (66.3%) received industry payments totaling $21,952,402. The mean and median dollar value of payments per editor was $100,699 and $3,638 (interquartile range, $364-$57,108). Food and beverage payments accounted for 63.0% of the $28,992 total payments, and the associated dollar value was $887,617 (4.04%). Gender disparities in corporate payments were observed in other contexts, but we did not find a similar relationship among leading dermatology journals. Conclusion: Our work highlights that pharmaceutical payments exist among dermatology editors, providing a rationale for future research to address whether editor bias related to pharmaceutical payments exists and more granular studies on the role of gender with regard to navigating such payments.
KW - Conflicts of interest
KW - Female journal editors
KW - Industry payments
KW - Open Payments
KW - Women in medicine
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.008
DO - 10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.02.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 34632038
AN - SCOPUS:85103941389
SN - 2352-6475
VL - 7
SP - 451
EP - 453
JO - International Journal of Women's Dermatology
JF - International Journal of Women's Dermatology
IS - 4
ER -