Conflicts of interest in the medical profession

In the last decades the world of medicine has become familiar with the disclosure of conflicts of interest (CDI). The requirement for authors to declare their CDIs concerning their publications is a common issue. Another topic for CDI is related to the medical decision making on prescription. Finally, professionals being in positions of responsibility in professional societies or associations and healthcare institutions are asked to show their disclosure of CDI. These debates show up the interest of democratic societies for justice and social ethics that demand fair play in making decisions that may affect third parties, particularly patients. In the present work, the concept and types of CDIs are analyzed, and authors make proposals for the management of CDI in the medical profession.