Disclosing In-Kind Commercial Support
Clear communication helps build trust in accredited continuing education. If your organization receives in-kind commercial support from an ineligible company, tell learners what the company provided.
Being specific helps learners understand the nature of the support behind an activity. It also reinforces their confidence in the independence of accredited education.
In-kind support is non-monetary support provided by an ineligible company for use in an accredited CME activity. Examples include:
- donated or loaned medical equipment
- medical supplies
- animal or human tissues
- use of a meeting space
To be compliant with Standard 4, you need to disclose “the nature of the support if it was in-kind,” in addition to the name of the commercial supporter. Merely stating that your commercial support was “in-kind” is not enough. For example, you could disclose: “This activity received commercial support from [insert company name], which provided these ultrasound units.” This acknowledges a source of commercial support without implying content influence—and helps learners understand the support behind the activity.
Reach out to us at info@accme.org if you have questions.
