Ethical Conduct of Research

All researchers have both a legal and moral obligation to understand and adhere to ethical principles governing the conduct of health research using both humans and nonhuman animals.

Events in Nuremberg and Tuskegee have shown that vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and minorities need to be protected. Animals used in research must also be protected.

This week, you will examine the historical antecedents of modern ethical research guidelines and the practical dimensions of those principles. Specifically, you will look at issues of informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy through the Belmont Report and the Declaration of Helsinki.

You will also examine the role of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee in protecting animals in research and the Institutional Review Board in protecting human subjects in research.

Ethics in Research

The responsible conduct of research is essential to protecting both human and non-human animal subjects.

Vulnerable populations have been exploited throughout the centuries, and even today, research subjects are at risk of injury or death. As a researcher, you must be able to identify potential areas of ethical concern.

Sometimes these areas are obvious, whereas other times you must consider the far-reaching effects of the research on study participants.

In this Discussion, you will consider the possible ethical dilemmas that might occur while conducting your research.

In preparation for this Discussion think about the following three points.

• The informed consent process needed for your research

• The potential populations participating in your search

• Any conflict of interest by yourself or other members of the research team