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

5. Summarize two key points about risks.• Sometimes risks arise because the scientist mistakenly believessomething is safe when it is not. For example, in the Roche case,the researchers thought the hexamethonium was safe to inhalewhen it was not.• Sometimes risks come about just by the nature of research itself,which, by definition, involves unknowns. For example, researchersmay not know the full range of side effects of a substance or howdifferent people might react to it. So, harms are still possible evenwhen the study is scientifically and ethically sound.6. Tell students that because harms are possible, the researchcommunity (in collaboration with ethicists and regulatoryagencies) has developed guidelines to help ensure the appropriateand responsible conduct of human clinical trials.7. Tell students that they will next consider what some goodguidelines or rules might be for conducting research ethically.Activity 7:Guidelines for Ethical ResearchEstimated Time: 15 minutesProcedure1. Divide the class into small groups of three to four students.2. Give each group a large sheet of paper and colored markers.3. On the basis of their understanding of research and the case theyread for homework, ask each group to write its own “Guidelinesfor Ethical Research” that researchers should follow.4. Ask students to develop one or two rules related to each of themodule’s two ethical considerations—respect for persons andharms and benefits.For example, “People who participate in research need to have all knownrisks explained to them.”You might want to have students consider these factors as theydevelop rules:• Value of research (social or scientific)• Reliability and validity of scientific results• Fairness in selecting participants• Review of research by independent reviewers• Avoiding conflicts of interest5-24 Exploring Bioethics