Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Undue inducement refers to a situation where participants are swayedto do something with potential for serious harm (such as participatein a risky study with no benefits) by the use of incentives such asexcessively large sums of money. Inducements that distort people’sjudgment, leading them to agree to do something very risky that theywould not otherwise do, are considered undue.Exploitation refers to a situation where people receive unequalbenefits for the burdens undertaken; one group of people benefits at theexpense of others. Those who bear the risks are often in a weaker or morevulnerable position. For example, when individuals who live in developingcountries are asked to bear the risks of participating in a study but neverreceive any benefits, it might be considered exploitation.127. Emphasize that researchers must take care not to coerce or undulyinduce individuals into participating in a study, because thatwould be disrespectful of them. Participants must freely agree toparticipate. This important concept is called voluntary consent.8. Refer back to Master 5.1 and ask students, “Do you believe thatoffering free movie passes is undue inducement?”9. Tell students that avoiding coercion and undue inducement is away to respect a person. A second way is to ensure that researchersinform people about the study and potential risks.10. Ask students, “Do you feel informed about the study? What more doyou want to know?” Questions to stimulate discussion could include• What information, if any, would you want to know before you makeyour decision?• What if I didn’t tell you what the test was going to be, what any of therisks were, or whether the drug had been tried on people before?34Students should recognize that they need to be informed about thepotential risks.11. Emphasize that researchers must consider whether participantsunderstand what they are agreeing to do, the potential risksand benefits (if any) of participating, the purpose and goals ofthe research, and the alternatives they have to participating.They should also know that their participation is voluntary andthat they can quit at any time. This important concept is calledinformed consent.512. Share the study’s risks with students.Research on animals has shown that the study has two primary risks:1) approximately 10 percent of the individuals taking this medicationmight gain weight (up to 10 percent of their total weight) and2) 5 percent of the individuals had worse asthma symptoms thanbefore, but the majority improved.Module 5 5-136