Ethics in human experimentation: examples in aeromedical research.

Abstract

The existence of ethical standards directing how humans are utilized in clinical and human-use research have a significant impact on the conduct and outcome of aeromedical research. The validity of the data generated by human research is a direct result of the application of these ethical guidelines. The risk/benefit ratio evaluation can terminate a project even before its initiation. New technology, individual beliefs, and a changing society will continue to guarantee controversy over how human subjects should be screened and evaluated as well as how research should utilize them. Ethical guidelines are not cast in stone. Their interpretation is influenced by new experimental results, the individual researcher, the intended subject, the composition of human use committees, and the social environment. How we address new and old concerns alike will dictate the research environment of the future.