Sponsorship requirements

Sponsorship requirements 

Providers must comply with a number of requirements.

• Education delivered to GPs must be developed completely independently of any sponsorship.
• The CPD Program will not accept activities with sponsor input into its design, development, content or delivery. The RACGP considers such input as a conflict of interest and a breach of the CPD Program’s activity standards.
• Facilitators delivering the material must have independence. They must not be briefed by the sponsor or otherwise influenced with regard to how they present or deliver the education.
• Facilitators must declare to attending GPs any conflicts regarding payment, or other benefits or inducements from a sponsor, prior to delivering the CPD approved activity.
• Providers must declare how and by whom their activity is sponsored each time that activity is promoted, advertised or delivered.
• All education and CPD Program administration concerning participants must be handled by the provider and not the sponsor. This includes ensuring all components of the activity are completed by the participant.
• It is permissible for CPD providers to have their CPD activities promoted on pharmaceutical and/or other websites providing there is no advertising or promotion of any product within the CPD activity(s) and providing that registration details are collected only by the approved RACGP CPD provider.
• Providers must undertake, without sponsor input, all collection and collation of completed evaluation forms from participants, and integration with the RACGP’s CPD Program systems (including uploading GP hours and activity reports). Providers may share de-identified evaluation outcomes with their sponsors upon request.
• Sponsor pop-ups, advertising, online resources or event flyers must include clear details of the activity and the provider’s contact details. The sponsor’s contact details must not be included, but their logo may be featured.
• CPD approved activities must not at any stage, either directly or indirectly, promote:
  • products by use of their brand or trade names (refer to ‘Use of generic product names’)
  • products or methods of treatment disproportionate to their normal contribution to high-quality patient care
  • products or methods of treatment in areas of clinical practice where accepted management standards are insufficient and a balanced rationale is not provided
  • theories and methods of treatment without the support of the medical profession, including by reason of inconclusive evidence of therapeutic benefits
  • techniques not accepted by a significant proportion of the medical profession, or not supported by accepted medical theory
  • therapeutic goods not authorised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia
• When there is uncertainty about an activity’s clinical, scientific or ethical content, the RACGP reserves the right to seek clarification on the program design and evidence-based methodology. The RACGP may then decline (or withdraw, as appropriate) the activity if it fails to meet aspects of the CPD provider agreement.