Browse Medical Ethics Articles by Topic

Pregnant Women Face ‘Default’ Exclusion From Clinical Trials

With the revised Common Rule removing pregnant women from the list of “vulnerable populations” in 2019, it is time for IRBs to reconsider the default exclusion of expectant mothers from clinical trials, a bioethicist argued in a new paper.

Building Foundational Trust Among Minority Populations Is First Step

Lack of trust is an important issue affecting recruitment of underrepresented minorities in research studies. When there is little trust for medical and research professionals among a particular underrepresented minority group, it is important for research organizations to build a foundation for trust before recruiting people for a particular study. Trust issues can be ingrained in the culture, or based on individuals’ personal experiences in healthcare.

Money Matters: Payment to Research Participants ‘Haphazard’

The authors of a new study on payment to research participants underscored concerns that “undue influence” of higher payments may be overemphasized in compensation to human subjects. They found wide variation of payment practices across studies in the same region and populations, suggesting a “haphazard” approach to compensation for research participation.

Right to Try in Oncology: Gatekeepers or Mercenaries?

While the federal Right to Try law passed in 2018 has thus far resulted in little activity, bioethicists expect oncology will be on the frontlines of an anticipated increase in requests for investigational new drugs.

Gene-Altered Twins Face Uncertain Future

Chinese twins born in 2018 face a future fraught with potential health complications after a rogue gene-editing experiment that “basically broke every single principle of ethical medical research,” an expert says. The experiment shocked many in the scientific community, who cited widespread agreement that there were too many unknowns to proceed with CRISPR in human research subjects.

Bioengineered Organ Research on the Recently Deceased

The next frontier in transplant medicine includes bioengineered organs, which raise ethical issues but could help alleviate a critical shortage that leaves more than 100,000 people on organ wait lists annually in the United States.

Ethical Issues and Standards in Case Management, Part 2

In October, we began our discussion on ethical issues of relevance to case management professionals. The principles should provide case managers with a framework when dealing with the tensions between providing quality healthcare and containing costs. However, it is doubtful that the tension can be overcome completely. Even when payers or health insurance plans make legitimate decisions, healthcare professionals may sometimes find that they cannot support these decisions in good conscience. How you respond to these dilemmas is significant in terms of maintaining ethical integrity.

‘Re-Consent’ a Gray Area for IRBs

Wading into a thicket of ethical and legal issues, SACHRP is trying to clarify the concept of “re-consent” and when is it necessary.

Ethical Issues and Standards in Case Management, Part 1

This month, we will discuss principles related to ethics and how they affect one’s role as an RN case manager or a social worker. These principles include patient advocacy, which applies to all the roles and functions that case managers perform.

Indigenous People Grill NIH on All of Us Protections

Attempting to reassure an indigenous community that has been abused in past research, the NIH All of Us precision medicine initiative is holding a series of meetings and webinars with the National Congress of American Indians. A key part of the dialogue is letting American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal Nations ask questions and express concerns about the project.