The following is the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Presence of Relevant Financial Relationship Policy. All authors connected to a conference presentation submission for the NASN annual conference must read this policy and respond to the Presence of Relevant Financial Relationship questions on the conference presentation submission form.
The potential for Relevant Financial Relationships exist when an individual has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity and has a financial relationship with an ineligible commercial interest,* the products or services of which are pertinent to the content of the educational activity. The Nurse Planner is responsible for evaluating the presence or absence of relevant financial relationships within the prior 24 months for all persons involved in the design and creation of the educational activity and resolving any identified actual or potential relevant financial relationships during the planning and implementation phases.
*Ineligible Commercial Interest, as defined by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation (ANCC), is any entity producing, marketing, reselling, or distributing healthcare goods or services consumed by or used on patients, or an entity that is owned or controlled by an entity that produces, markets, resells, or distributes healthcare goods or services consumed by or used on patients.
An organization is NOT an Ineligible Commercial Interest** if it is a/an
- Government entity
- Non-profit (503(c)) organization
- Provider of clinical services directly to patients, including but not limited to hospitals, health care agencies and independent health care practitioners
- Entity the sole purpose of which is to improve or support the delivery of health care to patients, including but not limited to providers or developers of electronic health information systems, database systems, and quality improvement systems
- Non-healthcare related entity whose primary mission is not producing, marketing or selling or distributing healthcare goods or services consumed by or used on patients
- Liability insurance provider
- Health insurance provider
- Group medical practice
- Acute care hospital (for profit and not for profit)
- Rehabilitation center (for profit and not for profit)
- Nursing home (for profit and not for profit)
- Blood bank
- Diagnostic laboratory
**Reference: Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards of Commercial Support, August 2007 (http://www.accme.org) - ANCC’s definition is intended to ensure compliance with Food and Drug Administration Guidance on Industry-Supported Scientific and Educational Activities and consistency with the ACCME definition).
All individuals who have the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity must disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest, including but not limited to members of the Planning Committee, speakers, presenters, authors, and/or content reviewers. Relevant financial relationships must be disclosed to the learners during the time when the relationship is in effect and for 12 months afterward. All information disclosed must be shared with the participants/learners prior to the start of the educational activity.
Relationships with any commercial interest of the individual’s spouse/partner may be relevant financial relationships and must be reported, evaluated, and resolved.
Evidence of a relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest may include but is not limited to:
- receiving a salary,
- royalty,
- intellectual property rights,
- consulting fee,
- honoraria,
- ownership interest (stock and stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds),
- grants,
- contracts, or
- other financial benefit directly or indirectly from the commercial interest which may be associated with employment, management positions, independent contractor relationships, other contractual relationships such as consulting, speaking, teaching, membership on an advisory committee or review panel, board membership, and other activities from which remuneration is received or expected from the commercial interest.
IMPORTANT: If a submitter, author, or presenter develops or acquires a potential relevant financial relationship any time before the annual conference, NASN must be informed.
The National Association of School Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
