Bioethics of Human Subjects Research Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is bioethics?
the study of the ethical issues emerging from advances in biology and medicine
What is the institutional review board (IRB)?
an independent body made up of medical, scientific, and nonscientific members, whose responsibility is to ensure the protection of the rights, safety, and well being of human subjects involved in a trial by among other things, reviewing, approving, and providing continuing review of trials, of protocols and amendments, and of the method and material to be used in obtaining and documenting informed consent of the trial subjects
What is research misconduct?
a fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in a reporting research results
What is serious adverse event (SAE):
any experience that suggests a significant hazard, contraindication, side effect. or precaution that develops during a clinical trial
What is informed consent?
consent to participate in a medical experiment by a subject after achieving an understanding of what is involved. It is essential that participants understand that participating in a research study is completely voluntary; they can withdraw from the study at any time or choose not to participate without it having any impact on their clinical care
What is autonomy?
the capacity of an individual to make an informed uncoerced decision
What is a clinical trial?
systematic investigation of the effects of material or methods on a disease state conducted according to a formal study plan
What is good clinical practice?
a standard by which clinical trials are designed, implemented, and reported to assure that the data are scientifically sound and that the rights of the subjects are protected
Describe the work of Dr. James Lind
1747: published one of the first widely known clinical trials to help treat scurvy. Citrus fruit helped cure it
Describe the work of Dr. John Haygarth
1799: One of the first demonstrators of the placebo effect
What is the biological control act?
1902: regulated the production of vaccines and antitoxins. Came from in 1901 when 13 children died in St Louis from diphtheria antitoxin that was contaminated with tetanus spores
What is the pure food and drug act?
1906: required medications to report their ingredients, in response to The Jungle, banned selling of impure food
What is the therapeutics trials committee?
considered applications by companies for trials of new products
What is the Tuskegee syphilis study?
Researchers told 399 African American men with syphilis that they would treat them for “bad blood” but ended up not ever treating them for the disease
What is the nuremberg code?
Nuremburg Military tribunal’s decision about the Nazi medical experiments
16 doctors found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
7 doctors executed
What is the nuremberg code 10 points?
- Consent must be voluntary
- possibility of important results; with no other means to get information
- trial must be justifiably based on past knowledge
- avoid all unnecessary physical and mental suffering
- no trial can be conducted where reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur
- trial must be of more benefit than risk
- provisions must be made to protect patients from injury or death
- trial conducted by scientifically qualified persons
- right to patient to withdraw from study
- doctor must discontinue trial if new information suggests probable cause that trial could result in injury, disability or death
Describe the Willowbrook study
Doctors infected mentally ill children with hepatitis to see how it works in 1963. Parents gave consent for the study because if they didn’t, their children would not be treated by the hospital
Describe the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital Study
1963; injection of live cancer cells into patients with various chronic illnesses, doctors did not tell parents that they were injecting cancer cells
What is the declaration of Helsinki?
1964: developed by the World Medical Association
outlines the ethical principles of medical research
Basic principles: doctors duty to protect the life, health, privacy and dignity of patient, research much be reviewed by independent committee, Benefit > risk, patients must volunteer, assent much be obtained from minors if capable
What is the national research act?
1974; created the national commission for the protection of human subjects of biomedical and behavioral research
group was formed to write basic ethical principles for research
led to creation of Belmont report
What does the National Commission for the protection fo human subjects of biomedical and behavioral research do?
publish on children, established rationale for pediatric research (1977)
What is the Belmont report?
ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects
What are the three fundamental principles of the Belmont report?
respect for persons
beneficence
justice
Describe respect for persons
autonomy of individuals
persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection