We analyse the system of ethical review of human research in the Baltic States by introducing the principle of equivalent stringency of ethical review, that is, research projects imposing equal risks and inconveniences on research participants should be subjected to equally stringent review procedures. We examine several examples of non-equivalence or asymmetry in the system of ethical review o...

E. Nemitz, M. A. Sutton, G. P. Wyers, R. P. Otjes, M. G. Mennen, E. M. van Putten, and M. W. Gallagher Atmospheric Sciences, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh Research Station, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), Postbus 1, 1755 Petten ZG, The Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and Environment ...

Unique and challenging ethical difficulties arise during mobile psychiatric treatment of elderly patients. This article outlines and analyzes five of these challenges that have been encountered during nearly 20 years of experience with the Psychogeriatric Assessment and Treatment in City Housing Program in Baltimore, Maryland. The ethical challenges reviewed are: establishing the treatment cont...

Public health interventions usually operate at the level of groups rather than individuals, and cluster randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are one means of evaluating their effectiveness. Using examples from six such trials in Bangladesh, India, Malawi and Nepal, we discuss our experience of the ethical issues that arise in their conduct. We set cluster RCTs in the broader context of public he...

Facebook’s experimental manipulation of newsfeed content and the subsequent PNAS publication of significant findings from it (1) have drawn attention to the regulation of human participation in academic research and to the differences between commercial and academic research. Those events were recognized in an Expression of Concern in PNAS (2). In commerce and on the Internet, experimentation i...

This article analyzes the religio-ethical discussions of Muslim religious scholars, which took place in Europe specifically in the UK and the Netherlands, on organ donation. After introductory notes on fatwas (Islamic religious guidelines) relevant to biomedical ethics and the socio-political context in which discussions on organ donation took place, the article studies three specific fatwas is...

Background Multi-centre studies generally cost more than single-centre studies because of larger sample sizes and the need for multiple ethical approvals. Multi-centre studies include clinical trials, clinical quality registries, observational studies and implementation studies. We examined the costs of two large Australian multi-centre studies in obtaining ethical and site-specific approvals. ...

Seeking ethics committee approval for research can be challenging even for relatively simple studies occurring in single settings. Complicating factors such as multicentre studies and/or contentious research issues can challenge review processes, and conducting such studies internationally adds a further layer of complexity. This paper draws on the experiences of the LINNAEUS Collaboration, an ...

BACKGROUND In terms of ethical decision making, every clinical case, when seen as an ethical problem, may be analyzed by means of four topics: medical indications, patient preferences, quality of life, contextual features. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of 4th year dental students on Ethical Decision Making before and after a course on ethics. METHODS Fourth year dental ...