Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Professor Sir David Weatherall
- Acknowledgements
- 1 An introduction to the ethical issues
- 2 Goal-based morality: scientific rigour in research
- 3 Duty-based morality: acting in the research subjects' best interests
- 4 Right-based morality: respecting the autonomy of research participants
- 5 From principles to practice
- 6 Case studies of goal-based issues
- 7 Case studies of duty-based issues
- 8 Case studies of right-based issues
- 9 A framework for ethical review: researchers, research ethics committees, and moral responsibility
- References
- Index
6 - Case studies of goal-based issues
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Professor Sir David Weatherall
- Acknowledgements
- 1 An introduction to the ethical issues
- 2 Goal-based morality: scientific rigour in research
- 3 Duty-based morality: acting in the research subjects' best interests
- 4 Right-based morality: respecting the autonomy of research participants
- 5 From principles to practice
- 6 Case studies of goal-based issues
- 7 Case studies of duty-based issues
- 8 Case studies of right-based issues
- 9 A framework for ethical review: researchers, research ethics committees, and moral responsibility
- References
- Index
Summary
Introduction
This chapter will cover specific cases of research whose goals, scientific methods and dissemination of results create particular and interesting ethical problems. As an example of ethical problems in research goals we will look at the aims of different branches of organ transplantation research. In seeking to improve the chances of people who are in need of new organs, tissue and skin, research moves in such ethically sensitive areas as elective ventilation, xeno-transplantation and the use of embryos as a therapeutic tool. When we come, secondly, to look at issues in research method, two examples will be considered. The first is the discovery of penicillin, and the second is research into homeopathic treatments. The two accounts have some similarities. Thirdly and finally the dissemination of results will be discussed, looking specifically at cases which highlight the difficulties in making evidence-based medicine a reality. These are: research into administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to neonates to determine whether and when that treatment is futile; research into uses for interferon; and research into fetal monitoring during labour.
Goals of research
When this issue was discussed in Chapter Two, it was suggested that researchers should aim at discovering treatments that cure without harm to individual patients or to the wider environment. The development of treatments for those whose organs are in disrepair and need replacing will now be taken as a case study of research goals.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Ethics of Medical Research on Humans , pp. 73 - 92Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001