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ISSUE 4 AUGUST
Letters to the Editor

Confessions of a biased reader

  • Chris Commens

The Editorial Executive Committee welcomes letters, which should be less than 250 words. Before a decision to publish is made, letters which refer to a published article may be sent to the author for a response. Any letter may be sent to an expert for comment. When letters are published, they are usually accompanied in the same issue by their responses or comments. The Committee screens out discourteous, inaccurate or libellous statements. The letters are sub-edited before publication. Authors are required to declare any conflicts of interest. The Committee's decision on publication is final.

 

Letter to the Editor

Editor, – I wonder how many other people share my obsession about checking declarations of conflicts of interest before they read any letter or article?

I note many well-credentialled academics seem very committed to evidence-based medicine when presenting their arguments. For me, all this effort becomes completely neutralised when I realise that they have received sponsorship associated with the very products they are arguing for. Unfortunately, my bias is so compelling that I cannot take their well presented discussion seriously. How many other people suffer from this problem?

Chris Commens
Dermatologist
Pennant Hills, NSW

Chris Commens

Dermatologist, Pennant Hills, NSW