Final Program | CME/Attendance Certificate | Abstracts Online

Guidelines for FOCIS Educational Activities

1. Statement of purpose: Educational activities are for scientific and educational purposes only and will not promote any proprietary business interest of the company, directly or indirectly.
2. Control of content: selection of presenters and moderators: FOCIS is responsible for all decisions regarding the identification of educational needs, determination of educational objectives, selection and presentation of content, selection of all persons and organizations that will be in a position to control the content of CME, selection of education methods, and evaluation of the activity.
3. Disclosure of financial relationships: FOCIS will ensure disclosure to the audience of commercial support and any significant relationship between individual speakers or moderators and a commercial entity.
4. Ancillary promotional activities: Product-promotion materials or product-specific advertisement is prohibited in or during a CME activity. The juxtaposition of editorial and advertising material on the same products or subjects is not allowed. Live or enduring promotional activities must be kept separate from a CME activity. Promotional materials cannot be displayed or distributed in the education space immediately before, during or after a CME activity. Companies may not engage in sales or promotional activities while in the space or place of the CME activity.
5. Objectivity and balance: The Commercial Standards of Support for Continuing Medical Education require that presentations give a balanced view of therapeutic options, by using generic names, if possible. If it is necessary for presenters to use a trade name, then those of several companies should be discussed. FOCIS will make every effort to ensure that data regarding the company's products (or competing products) are objectively selected and presented, with favorable and unfavorable information and balanced discussion of prevailing information on the product(s) and/or alternative treatments.
6. Limitations of data: FOCIS will ensure, to the extent possible, disclosure of limitations of data, e.g., ongoing research, interim analyses, preliminary data, or unsupported opinion.
7. Discussion of unapproved uses: FOCIS will require that presenters disclose when a product is not approved in the USA for the use under discussion.
8. Opportunities for debate: FOCIS will ensure opportunities for questions or scientific debate.