Bioethical Research

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that one of the elements of research that has an impact on how the research is conducted and how it is then applied is the ethics of the research design. The writer discusses that any research design is required to follow certain ethical requirements, notably those involving informed consent, but others relate to how people are chosen, what they are told of the research, how the research is analyzed, how the findings are presented and how any findings are used to implement action after that. The writer points out that certain types of research raise more ethical issues than others, and ethical concepts have been set forth more directly for some types of research than for others. How well these requirements are followed has an impact on public health, future research, legislation, and public welfare. The writer concludes that bioethics has also become more and more enmeshed with religious issues in an era where abortion is more common and the possibility of human cloning is raised, even simply the cloning of cells for stem cell research.

From the Paper:

"The ethical guidelines for research, and especially for this type of research, begin with the requirement for informed consent. This means that all of the participants have to understand that they are being diverted to one or the other of these methods of treatment and that they are willing to do so. This means that the choice has been explained to them and that they understand the implications, which in this case would be that one treatment may be more effective than the other. This means that participants must be informed about the purpose of the research, how long it is to last, and the procedures to be followed. They have to know that they have the right to decline to participate and that they may indeed withdraw once the research begins if they feel that this would benefit them. The possible consequences of being in one group or the other need to be explained, which in this case means explaining the hypothesis that one of these methods is more effective than the other."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bower, R.T. & de Gasparis, P. (1978). Ethics in social research: Protecting the interests of human subjects. New York: Praeger.
• Brent, N. J. (1997). The home healthcare nurse and confidentiality and privacy. Home Healthcare Nurse, 15(4), 256-258.
• Chadwick, B.A., Bahr, H.M., & Albrecht, S.L. (1984). Social science research methods. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall.
• Heinrich, Bernd. "What Is Natural?" Discover (June 1994), 40-42.
• Holtzman, E. (1986, July-August). Biology and Social Responsibilty. Monthly Review, 86-97.

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