RESEARCH ETHICS

Research Ethics

Research Ethics

Has current research ethics regulation struck the right balance between a) protection of research participants and b) the interests of society in medical research? Explain and justify your answer.

Introduction

The terms research ethics and responsible conduct of research are often used interchangeably, but they do not always mean the same thing. In some contexts, for example, the former term refers to the more theoretical, philosophical dimensions of research, which may include asking whether ethical theory is useful in resolving a particular research problem. On the other hand, the focus of the latter term tends to be on research compliance, which involves how researchers, administrators, and others should adhere to laws, regulations, and institutional guidelines governing research.

Yet when scholars use the term research ethics, frequently they intend to address both philosophical and compliance-related matters. Among the main types of resources that might assist researchers in the effort to learn about ethically appropriate research practice are ethics codes from professional organizations, institutional guidelines, journal policies, and government regulations and laws. Research ethics discussions also take place in scholarly publications as well as within the pages of other publications that reach scientific communities and the public. My perspective is current research ethics regulation struck the right balance between protection of research participants and the interests of society in medical research.

History

Today, protecting human research participants through informed consent is common practice. That was not always the case. Unethical and harmful studies conducted in the past led to the creation of a regulatory board and current ethical principles that are in place to protect the rights of human participants. The Nazis conducted a great deal of in human research during World War II. As a result, in 1947 the Nuremberg Military Tribunal created the Nuremberg Code, which protected human participants in medical experiments.

The code required researchers to obtain voluntary consent and minimize harm in experiments that would provide more benefits to the participants than foreseen risks. In 1954, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) established an ethics committee that adopted a policy that required all human participants to provide voluntary informed consent. Furthermore, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued regulations in 1974 that called for protection of human research participants. The department would not support any research that was not first reviewed and approved by a committee, which is now known as the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB would be responsible for determining the degree of risk and whether the benefits outweighed any risk to the participants. It was noted in the regulations that informed consent must be obtained.

The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research was created in 1974, and this organization was charged to identify basic ethical principles within research with human subjects and make recommendations to improve the policies in place. As a result, the Belmont Report was created, which identifies and defines the three basic principles for research, and it is still in use ...