Medical expert testimony as conflict of interest regarding the onset of rheumatoid arthritis following trauma

Abstract

David D Sherry Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USAI read with interest the article by Brawer and Goel in the August 2016 issue of journal Open Access Rheumatology: Research and Reviews on the onset of rheumatoid arthritis following trauma.1 However, I was troubled by the lack of transparency in, at least, the lead author’s case regarding conflict of interest. They acknowledged that the relationship between trauma and rheumatoid arthritis is the “subject of considerable controversy.” However, the lead author has given medical legal expert testimony arguing for such a relationship. A third of the subjects were attorney referred, and presumably involved in cause and effect litigation, and the incidence of litigation in the other 40 subjects is not reported. The inherent bias needs to be revealed to the reader.View original paper by Brawer and Goel.

Keywords

• arthritis
• trauma
• conflict of interest
• medical expert testimony
• bias
• litigation