Ethics in Medical Research: Principles, Challenges, and Guidelines

This essay delves into the critical realm of ethics in medical research, emphasizing the norms that distinguish acceptable from unacceptable behavior. It highlights the influence of international and national agencies, such as the FDA and the National Institute of Health, and foundational documents like the Declaration of Helsinki and the Nureberg Code. The discussion covers key ethical aspects, including integrity, social responsibility, and honesty, with specific attention to research design, data collection and analysis, and the importance of maintaining confidentiality of personnel records and research subjects. The essay underscores the necessity of acknowledging information sources to avoid plagiarism, advancing knowledge through original research, and protecting patient welfare by maximizing benefits while minimizing risks. Additionally, it addresses the ethical considerations in animal experimentation, advocating for compassionate care and pain reduction. The student solution provides insights into the ethical responsibilities of medical researchers and the importance of upholding these standards in the pursuit of scientific advancement.

Running head: ETHICS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH 1
Ethics in Medical Research
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Ethics in Medical Research
The term “ethics” refers to the norms of conduct that differentiate between unacceptable
and acceptable behaviour (Harriss, MacSween, & Atkinson, 2017). Often, ethics are learned
from childhood to adulthood stages of life. However, some of the ethics arise from life
experiences. Therefore, this journal is set to explore the ethics in medical research.
The ethics in the biomedical research are initiated by some international and national
agencies. Some of these national agencies include FDA, National Science Foundation and
National Institute of Health. The Declaration of Helsinki and Nureberg Code by the World
Medical Association forms the background upon which all the other ethical standards in medical
research originate across the globe (IPPCR, 2016). The ethics were formulated by the
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.
Generally, ethics circumnavigate integrity, social responsibility and honesty in general
terms. However, the norms in medical research comprise of specific perspectives which are
required to be conceptualized by researchers. Most of the ethics are discussed below.
All researchers are obligated to promote a careful approach to research design, data
collection and analysis. At this point, researchers need to employ an appropriate research design.
The data collection method should also be appropriate. Data interpretation and collection
methods should be able to replicate the results in the future.
Medical researchers are also required to maintain the confidentiality of the personnel
records and research subjects (Doppelfeld, & Hasford, 2019). Maintaining confidentiality can be
done through diverse approaches. For instance, researchers are required to physically secure the

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paper documents and devices, manage data utilization, manage devices, manage data access and
encrypt sensitive files.
Medical researchers are always required to acknowledge the source of their information.
It is fundamental to source the authors of the articles used in reporting the findings of a medical
research. Failure to do so is deemed as plagiarism and unethical in the research process.
Medical researchers are required to aim at advancing knowledge. The researchers should
avoid duplication of similar research within different journals or in different languages without
an appropriate declaration to the effect (LAURIE, & Dove, 2019). Furthermore, the researchers
have to protect all patients included in the study. In this case, the researchers should maximize
the benefits of the patients while reducing their risks. Most importantly, researchers should aim
at maximizing the benefits of the vulnerable population. Lastly, medical researchers are required
to design animal experiments only if completely meaningful and relevant. During the
experimentation process, researchers are required to promote proper care and compassion by
reducing suffering and pain.

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References
Doppelfeld, E., & Hasford, J. (2019). Medical research ethics committees in the Federal
Republic of Germany: establishment and integration into medical
research. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz.
Harriss, D. J., MacSween, A., & Atkinson, G. (2017). Standards for ethics in sport and exercise
science research: 2018 update. International journal of sports medicine, 38(14), 1126-
1131.
IPPCR (2016). Ethical Principles in Clinical Research (video). Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uihjety2d5M
LAURIE, G. H., & Dove, E. (2019). Mason and McCall Smith's law and medical ethics. Oxford
University Press.