Browse Medical Ethics Articles by Topic

Identifiable Data Are Not What They Used to Be

IRBs and researchers should change their old habits when it comes to assessing studies for privacy and confidentiality. Researchers recently showed that de-identified data could be used to find a specific person. Using a mathematical model in databases of more than 200 populations, researchers found they could correctly re-identify 99.98% of Americans, using 15 demographic attributes.

Tips for IRBs Reviewing Pragmatic Trials

Flexibility is needed when reviewing pragmatic clinical trials, which typically enroll a broader population of patients and might need more adaptable informed consent than traditional clinical trials. Researchers have raised questions about how pragmatic trials should be regulated and what IRBs should do to protect participants, but not discourage this type of research.

Pragmatic Trials on the Rise as Data Collection Pushes Trend

Several recent changes are driving the pragmatic trial trend nationally, including acceptance from regulators and the growth of big data. Pragmatic clinical trials measure effectiveness of a study drug, device, or intervention on a wider range of people. Unlike clinical trials that exclude people based on health conditions and other criteria, pragmatic trials study a treatment’s effect on a group of people who are more representative of patients in clinical practice and the real world.

IRB Methods for Reviewing Gun Violence Study Protocols

Gun violence researchers must be sensitive to the emotional risks of participants.

Study Finds That All Financial Conflicts of Interest Influence Findings

All financial conflicts of interest influence whether study authors report findings favorable to industry sponsors, according to a recent investigation.

Few Cardiology Treatment Recommendations Based on High-Quality Evidence

The proportion of recommendations supported by data from randomized controlled trials actually decreased from 2008. In looking at updated guidelines, the researchers found that fewer recommendations were supported by randomized controlled trials than in the prior versions.

Ethics of Cellphone Use in Clinic Waiting Rooms

Ethical issues related to patient cellphone use center around the physician-patient relationship. At issue: How to balance the value of both physicians’ and patients’ time.

New Data Shed Light on Scientific Misconduct

Publication pressure is one of the strongest predictors of research misconduct.

Ethics Champion Program Empowers Clinical Teams

As healthcare organizations become more complex, there is a greater need for ethical discussion. Ethics champion programs are one way of encouraging discussions.

Study: Trust in Physicians Declined When Industry Ties Reported

Research suggests that when patients know that individual doctors receive industry payments, the patients trusted those specific doctors less. The researchers found that transparency negatively affected both patient trust in their own doctors and in the medical profession.