Conflicts of interest in intensive care medicine

Conflicts of interest in medicine are pervasive and are not isolated to certain practice settings or specialties. The Institute of Medicine defines a conflict of interest as “a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest”. Medical professionals have a duty to minimize and disclose conflicts of interest in order to preserve the trust of patients and the public. In this editorial we focus on financial personal conflicts, non-financial personal conflicts, and conflicts that arise naturally in the role of ICU clinician, highlighting facets shared across medicine and challenges unique to the practice of intensive care medicine.