Historical aspects of bioethics of research and innovation in pediatric surgery

Abstract

The article reveals historical aspects of the bioethics of research and innovation in pediatric surgery. Surgical innovations are inherently noble efforts aimed at improving the health of patients through a new method of diagnosis or treatment. Together with the freedom to create something new and innovate comes the need to protect patients from the potential risks associated with a new way of diagnosis or treatment. Throughout the development of medicine, from the Hammurabi Code to the adoption of international ethical guidelines for human health research in 2016, a tendency has been traced aimed at addressing the issue of the legality of using research on humans in general and in performing pediatric surgical interventions, in particular. From the time of the Belmont Report to the present, the guidelines for conducting human experiments have been based on four core values or principles underlying modern medical ethics: benevolence, non-harm, justice and personal autonomy. Children deserve special treatment from researchers and research ethics committees. For more than a hundred years, participation of children in scientific research has been disputed, nevertheless, there is a large number of examples in the scientific literature of involving children in this kind of activity. Children were previously seen as important participants in the progress of medical knowledge and the development of new drugs and vaccines. The development of pediatric surgery and the establishment of bioethical principles have led to the restriction of such reckless experiments on children. The development of pediatric surgery and the establishment of bioethical principles have led to the limitation of such reckless experiments on children. Monitoring of such investigations by the medical community is very important, in which ethics committees play a central role. The work of these committees is based on a set of international legal and advisory acts accumulated by humanity, which are fundamental in the field of bioethics.