COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ETHICS CODES/ GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATION

Abstract

Medicine and ethics have increasingly more links caused by considerable progresses in biotechnology in different fields of medical diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The issue of research ethics is one of the most important subjects which have been emphasized by international and regional organizations, policy-makers, medical and religious professions, scientists and researchers in different countries in recent decade. Research ethics, as one of the main issues of modern bioethics, has attracted the interest of scientists and ethicists in various areas of science and technology around the world. Research Ethics Committees (RECs) have been established to improve putting ethics into practice in the field of research. A ‘Research Ethics Committee' (REC) is defined as a multidisciplinary, independent, body charged with reviewing research involving human participants to ensure that their dignity, rights and welfare are protected. Research ethics committees protect the welfare and rights of participants involved in research through reviewing research proposals, monitoring the conduct of research and dealing with complaints that arise from research. RECs, fortunately, have received a great deal of attention in different countries, and their mission, goals, and tasks have been described in many national and international guidelines. Ethical guidelines for biomedical research and RECs administrative regulations have been developed in Iran too. This manuscript will introduce you to the concepts underlying research ethics committees worldwide and in Iran. In this study, we present suggestions concerning course presentation and contents, which are provided by international assemblies. In view of the fact that many RECs in our country do not have specific plans for their members' primary training and continuing education, there seems to be a need for fundamental changes in the educational prerequisites for membership in this important organization. We hope the manuscript could enhance awareness of biomedical researchers about status and duties of research ethics committees and consequently strengthen the RECs in our country. Moreover, it is recommended that the Ministry of Health and Medical Education take more serious actions to establish and monitor ethics committees throughout the country. Therefore, a comparative study of ethical codes and guidelines is necessary to prevent the possible deviations in the course of research. This study is a literature review study and after reviewing the scientific literature in this field, review set of existing international codes such as Nuremberg, Helsinki, Belmont and... . The findings of this review article can help developing policymakers of codes of ethics.