Biomedical subjects

Emily E Anderson

Publications and source records attributed to Emily E Anderson.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The need for evidence-based research ethics: a review of the substance abuse literature.

Participants in substance abuse research may be vulnerable for multiple reasons. International research ethics guidelines and policy statements require that researchers provide extra protections when conducting research with vulnerable subjects, but it is uncertain which measures best protect vulnerable individuals. Concerns about vulnerability have been translated into only the vaguest regulatory requirements, and very little empirical data exist to guide researchers and ethics review committee members who want to protect participants. This article reviews two bodies of substance abuse research ethics literature. First, "normative" articles, that is, articles that discuss ethical issues that may arise in substance abuse research, are discussed. The resulting taxonomy of ethical issues then guides a review of empirical studies on issues like the informed consent process and the use of financial incentives in substance abuse research. While the ethical issues in substance abuse research are numerous and well-documented, the evidentiary base for addressing these issues is inadequate. If any one major theme emerged from the existing studies, it is that many well-intentioned, protectionist concerns--about recruitment incentives, consent comprehension, and drug administration studies--are not supported by empirical data. While these findings are at best tentative, they suggest how research on research ethics might ultimately benefit participants.

Behavioral Research↗

PubMed2006

Attitudes toward death criteria and organ donation among healthcare personnel and the general public.

OBJECTIVE: To examine attitudes toward death criteria and their relation to attitudes and behaviors regarding organ donation. DATA SOURCES: This article reviews empirical studies on the attitudes of healthcare personnel and the general public regarding death criteria and organ donation. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The review was restricted to studies that had as a primary focus attitudes toward 1 or more of the following 3 specific criteria for determining death: (1) brain death, the irreversible loss of all functions of the entire brain; (2) higher brain death, the loss of cerebral cortex function alone; and (3) the circulatory-respiratory criteria commonly used in donation after cardiac death. DATA SYNTHESIS: Studies consistently show that the general public and some medical personnel are inadequately familiar with the legal and medical status of brain death; attitudes toward the dead donor rule are strong predictors of willingness to donate organs using controversial criteria; concerns about donation after cardiac death surround the withdrawal of life support more than the actual death criteria used; and concerns about death criteria correlate with less favorable attitudes toward organ donation. CONCLUSIONS: Both general and ethical education may serve to guide policy and facilitate family member requests and informed consent dialogues. Furthermore, helping families to understand and accept not only medical and legal criteria for determining death, but also ethical criteria for withdrawing life support may help them be more comfortable with their decisions.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2004

Using multilevel, multisource needs assessment data for planning community interventions.

African Americans and Latinos share higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes compared with Whites. These diseases have common risk factors that are amenable to primary and secondary prevention. The goal of the Chicago REACH 2010-Lawndale Health Promotion Project is to eliminate disparities related to CVD and diabetes experienced by African Americans and Latinos in two contiguous Chicago neighborhoods using a community-based prevention approach. This article shares findings from the Phase 1 participatory planning process and discusses the implications these findings and lessons learned may have for programs aiming to reduce health disparities in multiethnic communities. The triangulation of data sources from the planning phase enriched interpretation and led to more creative and feasible suggestions for programmatic interventions across the four levels of the ecological framework. Multisource data yielded useful information for program planning and a better understanding of the cultural differences and similarities between African Americans and Latinos.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A qualitative study of non-affiliated, non-scientist institutional review board members.

In addition to outlining criteria for the approval of human subjects research, federal regulations provide guidance regarding local institutional review boards (IRB) membership. IRBs are mandated to include "at least one member whose primary concerns are in nonscientific areas" and "at least one member who is not otherwise affiliated with the institution." Often a single individual serves both of these roles simultaneously. Although there have been calls for increased representation of lay community members in IRBs, little is known regarding their experiences or their perceptions of human subject protections and the IRB process. Using an ethnographic interview approach, this study seeks to gain a perspective from non-affiliated, non-scientist (NA/NS) IRB members about the process in which they participated. Findings suggest a need for clarification regarding whom NA/NS IRB members represent. They also suggest that NA/NS IRB members' experiences could be improved by an increased show of respect from the IRB chair, other members, and staff; efforts to make participation more convenient for these volunteer members; and training tailored specifically to NA/NS members. Further research on this important and understudied topic is needed to determine best practice and policy recommendations.

Committee Membership↗