Clinical research: protection of the "vulnerable"? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008 May;121(5):1103-7
Date
03/04/2008Pubmed ID
18313131DOI
10.1016/j.jaci.2008.01.014Scopus ID
2-s2.0-42749087631 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 29 CitationsAbstract
In this age of evidence-based medicine, clinical research is critical for developing new therapeutics and determining the best way to use these therapies. To perform appropriate clinical research, researchers must adhere to ethical standards. These standards have developed in large part as a response to egregious violations of ethically appropriate behavior. In this respect certain populations have been identified as at risk of being treated inappropriately in medical research. Current ethical guidelines prohibit or severely limit what types of research can be performed involving these "vulnerable" populations. Although this might protect these populations, the lack of research on them might actually do harm in limiting their access to life-saving therapies. We explore the historical underpinnings of protecting the vulnerable populations and whether a newer ethical paradigm that would allow for protected research on these populations should be adopted by society.
Author List
Park SS, Grayson MHMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Allergy and ImmunologyBiomedical Research
Child
Clinical Trials as Topic
Ethics Committees, Research
Evidence-Based Medicine
History, 20th Century
Humans
Informed Consent
Research Subjects
United States
Vulnerable Populations
