NR505 NP Week 6 Discussion
How has learning about the history of research ethics impacted your view of biomedical research?
Learning about the history of research ethics has impacted my view tremendously of biomedical research after reading the assigned readings for the week. Biomedical research is important for developing new treatment and diagnostics involving health and illness. Research is valuable to society and the population, as it is an important part of evidence-based clinical practice and creates the platform for evidence-based medicine (Rahman et al., 2020). I was grateful to learn more about Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki and how it came about, after reading the horror stories of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the Nazi Medical Experiments, and others. It is hard to imagine a time when informed consent did not exist. Conducting research on humans with no respect for the person’s health and wellness, along with not providing a full disclosure of the risks involved, is atrocious. Every individual should be competent to consent and have the right to withdraw at any given time. I am grateful for the changes that have occurred in healthcare regarding biomedical research over the years.
In looking at the studies you reviewed for your PICOT question, do you feel that today’s researchers adequately protect the rights of human subjects? If not, what additional measurements do you recommend?
Current researchers have numerous measures in place to ensure research will be conducted in an ethical and respectful manner, which will ensure the participants’ safety. The Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and ethical guidelines that govern research are a necessity that must remain prioritized during research. The right to fair treatment is the importance of treating everyone fairly and is based on the ethical principles of justice (Gray et al., 2016). Fair treatment and protection from discomfort and harm are important considerations that are imperative during research.
References
Gray, J. R., Susan K. Grove PhD RN ANP-BC GNP-BC, & Sutherland, S. (2016). Burns and grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). Saunders.
Rahman, M., Ghoshal, U. C., Ragunath, K., Jenkins, G., Rahman, M., Edwards, C., Hasan, M., & Taylor-Robinson, S. D. (2020). Biomedical research in developing countries: Opportunities, methods, and challenges. Indian Journal of Gastroenterology, 39(3), 292–302. to an external site.
