Abstract
Research is an integral part of medical progress that leads to better understanding
of disease processes and the development of therapies to improve patient care. The
medical community has an obligation and societal responsibility to review its practices
and advance its knowledge to optimize care for those who entrust it with their health
and well-being. While ultimately intended to benefit patients specifically and society
as a whole, every laboratory and clinical investigation inherently carries an element
of uncertainty and has attendant risks. These can have unintended and, at times, harmful
consequences that cannot justify the knowledge gained. In order to mitigate these
risks and protect human subjects involved in clinical research studies, a basic framework
of ethical principles has been developed to guide responsible experimental design,
execution, and data dissemination. This article provides a review of these principles
and the historical context from which they were derived and explores the persistent
challenges and cognitive biases that can increase susceptibility to unethical research
practices.
Keywords
research ethics - bioethics - human subject research
