Putting patients first: five global healthcare organizations sign Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration
- Trust and respect are essential for advancing healthcare
- Based on shared overarching principles, the Consensus Framework puts patients first, supports ethical research and innovation, ensures independence and ethical conduct, and promotes transparency and accountability
- Highlights best practice for different groups collaborating to advance patient healthcare
Geneva. Five global healthcare organizations have established a Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration to support partnerships that will aim to deliver greater patient benefits and support high quality patient care. Derived from the individual codes of ethical practice and health policy positions of the five supporting organizations, this framework is based on four overarching principles:
- putting patients first;
- supporting ethical research and innovation;
- ensuring independence and ethical conduct; and
- promoting transparency and accountability.
The five organizations are the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), International Council of Nurses (ICN), International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), and the World Medical Association (WMA).
Advancing medical knowledge and improving health depend on regular information-sharing interactions between all partners. While individual codes of practice govern the activities of each group, this broad-based consensus framework applies across much of the healthcare community to include interactions involving patients, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and the healthcare industry.
“Ensuring ethical conduct, transparency and accountability are key in the development and testing of medicines and other health technologies,” said Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation at the World Health Organization. “We encourage all organizations involved to examine ways to develop monitoring mechanisms that can support these principles.”