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Paquette ET, Ross L. The Challenges of Incorporating Research Ethics Consultation Into Institutional Human Subjects Protections Programs. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2018; 18:49-51. [PMID: 29313769 PMCID: PMC6214683 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2017.1401179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lainie Ross
- b University of Chicago and MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics
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Hostiuc S, Moldoveanu A, Dascălu MI, Unnthorsson R, Jóhannesson ÓI, Marcus I. Translational research-the need of a new bioethics approach. J Transl Med 2016; 14:16. [PMID: 26767499 PMCID: PMC4714424 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-0773-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Translational research tries to apply findings from basic science to enhance human health and well-being. Many phases of the translational research may include non-medical tasks (information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, biochemistry, animal research, economy, sociology, psychology, politics, and so on). Using common bioethics principles to these areas might sometimes be not feasible, or even impossible. However, the whole process must respect some fundamental, moral principles. The purpose of this paper is to argument the need for a different approach to the morality in translational bioethics, and to suggest some directions that might be followed when constructing such a bioethics. We will show that a new approach is needed and present a few ethical issues that are specific to the translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sorin Hostiuc
- Department of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Carol Davila University, Bucharest, Romania.
- National Institute of Legal Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
- Sos.Vitan Barzesti 9, Sector 4, 042122, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Alin Moldoveanu
- Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Maria-Iuliana Dascălu
- Department of Engineering in Foreign Languages, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Runar Unnthorsson
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
| | | | - Ioan Marcus
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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Sharp RR, Taylor HA, Brinich MA, Boyle MM, Cho M, Coors M, Danis M, Havard M, Magnus D, Wilfond B. Research ethics consultation: ethical and professional practice challenges and recommendations. ACADEMIC MEDICINE : JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES 2015; 90:615-20. [PMID: 25607942 PMCID: PMC4414686 DOI: 10.1097/acm.0000000000000640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The complexity of biomedical research has increased considerably in the last decade, as has the pace of translational research. This complexity has generated a number of novel ethical issues for clinical investigators, institutional review boards (IRBs), and other oversight committees. In response, many academic medical centers have created formal research ethics consultation (REC) services to help clinical investigators and IRBs navigate ethical issues in biomedical research. Key functions of a REC service include assisting with research design and implementation, providing a forum for deliberative exploration of ethical issues, and supplementing regulatory oversight. As increasing numbers of academic research institutions establish REC services, there is a pressing need for consensus about the primary aims and policies that should guide these activities. Establishing clear expectations about the aims and policies of REC services is important if REC programs are to achieve their full potential. Drawing on the experiences of a Clinical and Translational Science Award Research Ethics Consultation Working Group, this article describes three major ethical and professional practice challenges associated with the provision of REC: (1) managing multiple institutional roles and responsibilities, (2) managing sensitive information, and (3) communicating with consultation requestors about how these issues are managed. The paper also presents several practical strategies for addressing these challenges and enhancing the quality of REC services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard R Sharp
- R.R. Sharp is director, Biomedical Ethics Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. H.A. Taylor is associate professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and core faculty, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, Maryland. M.A. Brinich is editor-in-chief, Lakewood Observer, Lakewood, Ohio. M.M. Boyle is clinical research coordinator, MDS/MPN Group, Transplantation Biology Department, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. M. Cho is professor, Stanford Department of Pediatrics, and associate director, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, Stanford University, Stanford, California. M. Coors is associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado. M. Danis is section head, Ethics and Health Policy, Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. M. Havard is a medical student, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio. D. Magnus is professor of medicine and biomedical ethics, professor of pediatrics, and director, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, Stanford University, Stanford, California. B. Wilfond is director, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, and professor and chief, Division of Bioethics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington
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Cho MK, Taylor H, McCormick JB, Anderson N, Barnard D, Boyle MB, Capron AM, Dorfman E, Havard K, Reider C, Sadler J, Schwartz P, Sharp RR, Danis M, Wilfond BS. Building a Central Repository for Research Ethics Consultation Data: A Proposal for a Standard Data Collection Tool. Clin Transl Sci 2015; 8:376-87. [PMID: 25758372 DOI: 10.1111/cts.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical research ethics consultation services have been established across academic health centers over the past decade. This paper presents the results of collaboration within the CTSA consortium to develop a standard approach to the collection of research ethics consultation information to serve as a foundation for quality improvement, education, and research efforts. This approach includes categorizing and documenting descriptive information about the requestor, research project, the ethical question, the consult process, and describing the basic structure for a consult note. This paper also explores challenges in determining how to share some of this information between collaborating institutions related to concerns about confidentially, data quality, and informatics. While there is much still to be learned to improve the process of clinical research ethics consultation, these tools can advance these efforts, which, in turn, can facilitate the ethical conduct of research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Holly Taylor
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Nick Anderson
- University of California at Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - David Barnard
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Mary B Boyle
- Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - John Sadler
- University of Texas, Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Peter Schwartz
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | | | - Marion Danis
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda,, Maryland, USA
| | - Benjamin S Wilfond
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
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McCormick JB, Sharp RR, Ottenberg AL, Reider CR, Taylor HA, Wilfond BS. The establishment of research ethics consultation services (RECS): an emerging research resource. Clin Transl Sci 2012; 6:40-4. [PMID: 23399088 DOI: 10.1111/cts.12008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Emphasis on translational research to facilitate progression from the laboratory into the community also creates a dynamic in which ethics and social policy questions and solutions are ever pressing. In response, academic institutions are creating Research Ethics Consultation Services (RECS). All Clinical Translational Science Award institutions were surveyed in early 2010 to determine which institutions have a RECS in operation and what is their composition and function. Of the 46 institutions surveyed, 33 (70%) have a RECS. Only 15 RECS have received any consult requests in the last year. Issues that are common among these relatively nascent services include relationships with institutional oversight committees, balancing requestor concerns about confidentiality with research integrity and human subjects protection priorities, tracking consult data and outcomes, and developing systems for internal evaluation. There is variability in how these issues are approached. It will be important to be attentive to the institutional context to develop an appropriate approach. Further data about the issues raised by requestors and the recommendations provided are necessary to build a community of scholars who can navigate and resolve ethical issues encountered along the translational research pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B McCormick
- Departments of Medicine and Health Sciences Research and Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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