Protecting the public from the adverse effects of confused research ethics

The current version of the Declaration of Helsinki states that ‘the benefits, risks, burdens and effectiveness of a new intervention must be tested against those of the best current proven intervention(s) … ’. This wording implies that it is acceptable for patients to be assigned to receive an unproven new intervention and to be denied a best current proven intervention. We assert that patients being invited to participate in controlled trials cannot, ethically, be expected to forego proven beneficial forms of care. Patients being treated in controlled trials should not knowingly be disadvantaged compared with similar patients being treated in usual clinical care, where they have access to beneficial care. In this article, we have tried to separate for discussion ‘the withholding of effective care from trial participants’, ‘informed consent to treatment’, ‘blinding’ and ‘use of placebos’.

show abstract

If in doubt, think patient

Abbasi¹

2021

J R Soc Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vaccination for COVID-19 remains controversial. The first question is who to vaccinate? The general answer is to begin with the most vulnerable and then prioritise on the basis of risk. But China, for example, in its pursuit of eliminating SARS-CoV-2, has begun by vaccinating people living and working in border areas. The debate in the UK became most heated over vaccinating children and adolescents, with official policy being out of step with other countries.The decision to offer only one dose was most directly challenged by new research published in JRSM. 1 Apart from supporting the two-dose strategy, the authors also challenged the government's vaccine committee to publish the evidence behind its decision making, which the committee was expected to do.Any lack of transparency only serves to ferment distrust among the public, distrust that is heightened by calculations that vaccine manufacturers are charging prices that disregard the public's investment in vaccine development and bear no relation to the minimal production costs. 2 The failure of vaccines to reach much of the world, where vaccination rates in Africa remain in single figures, mean that variants and boosters will remain major talking points beyond 2021. But the challenges to delivery can only be overcome with considerable planning, and a supplemented workforce. 3 Of the many innovations in primary care that might support the plan, doctor apprenticeships might be more problematic than they seem. 4 The research on COVID-19 vaccines has been both a success, for its speed, and controversial, for

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Protecting the public from the adverse effects of confused research ethics

Abstract: This is an article in our series on the theme of 'More efficient ethics review could improve health'Neglecting treatment uncertainties leads to avoidable suffering

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Blood Pressure Targets for Adults with Vasodilatory Shock — An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Blood Pressure Targets for Adults with Vasodilatory Shock — An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Giving and taking: ethical treatment assignment in controlled trials

If in doubt, think patient

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About