Oct 24, 2013 in Ethics, informed consent, Research Today I chaired a meeting of an NHS/NRES Research Ethics Committee (REC) and was once again astonished by the length and complexity of the participant information sheets being reviewed by the Committee. Amongst the applications on today’s agenda, three were … Continue reading
Mar 9, 2012 in Ethics William R. LaFleur begins his book, entitled ‘Dark medicine: rationalizing unethical medical research’, by reminding us of Marcus Aurelius’ thoughts on how professionals should behave. Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome between 161 and 180 AD, wrote that professionals should ‘be … Continue reading
Sep 23, 2011 in Ethics On Thursday it was my privilege to chair an NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC). These meetings usually involve many mixed emotions for both the researchers and the members of the committee. Researchers often find it hard to hide their joy and relief … Continue reading
Apr 14, 2011 in Ethics, Research There is a long history of an uneasy relationship between the research ethics committee and researchers but this should no longer be the case. Researchers and Research Ethics Committees (RECs) want the same thing; high quality research that has real … Continue reading