Declaration of Competing Interests

At ACCRECENT, we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in our educational content. To uphold these values, we require all authors and peer reviewers of educational modules to disclose any competing interests they may have. Competing interests, often referred to as conflicts of interest, arise when professional judgment concerning a primary interest, such as patient welfare or research validity, may be influenced by secondary interests, such as financial gain or personal rivalry.

We recognise that competing interests are almost inevitable in the medical field. However, to ensure the credibility of our educational materials, authors and peer reviewers need to declare competing financial and non-financial interests. This declaration is necessary before a module can be reviewed and accepted for distribution by ACCRECENT administrative staff.

We acknowledge that the risk of bias is particularly significant in clinical and educational modules intended to guide patient care. Therefore, we emphasise ensuring transparency regarding authors' and peer reviewers’ competing interests in these modules.

To ensure transparency, we ask authors and peer reviewers to disclose any interests they have had for at least the past 36 months—preferably throughout their career—and any expected interests in the next 12 months. These interests include but are not limited to financial ties to companies involved in producing drugs, devices, tests, or other medical products, relationships with medical education companies and alliances in the industry.

The ACCRECENT handling editor carefully assesses the declaration of competing interests provided by the authors and the peer reviewers. Any potential conflicts are discussed internally to ensure consistent and fair application of our policies. We will inform learners about their competing interests at the introduction of the module and before making any payment.

Several vital principles drive ACCRECENT's commitment to transparency and integrity in educational content distribution:

• Preventing harm caused by clinical decisions influenced by commercial interests.

• Enhancing the impact and trustworthiness of educational content.

• Promoting authors and peer reviewers without financial ties to industry.

• Mitigating the risk of systematic attempts by commercial interests to corrupt the literature and influence clinical decisions.

ACCRECENT acknowledges that financial competing interests are inherent in the medical field but makes decisions to avoid the production of modules based on competing interests to minimise harm over time. We aim not to eliminate all competing interests but to recognise their negative impact and reduce it as much as feasibly practicable.

As a start-up, ACCRECENT prioritises ethical standards and may choose not to include certain content that does not align with our commitment to integrity and quality. However, our commitment to distributing independent, accredited educational content at a fair price, particularly in developing countries, remains unwavering.

Ineligible companies are those primarily engaged in producing, marketing, selling, or distributing healthcare products. This disclosure is necessary regardless of the financial amount involved and whether the authors and peer reviewers view the relationships as relevant to education.

By adhering to these disclosure requirements, authors and peer reviewers contribute to maintaining the integrity and credibility of the educational content distributed by ACCRECENT. We appreciate your cooperation in this vital endeavour.