SMA Policy Committee: clinical drug trials
new! -- read up on Certificates of Confidentiality
An increasing proportion of clinical drug trials are conducted in developing countries where access to health care and government oversight of research are limited to nonexistent. Are vulnerable populations being exploited for benefits that accrue to people elsewhere? How do we protect against exploitation without unduly constraining much-needed health research that could, in fact, benefit vulnerable populations? What role should anthropologists play in the process of introducing and translating the purpose of clinical trials to local populations, insuring that they understand their rights, monitoring clinical trials in an environment subject to stakeholder and political economic interests, and serving as a watchdog?
Join the SMA in Taking a Stand on these issues.
- about the process -- explains the development of the Stand and the selection of this year's topic;
- overview of the problem -- authored by Dr. Kathleen M. MacQueen, Chair of the Stand's Task Force;
- background reading -- a selection of online readings exploring contemporary and historic dilemmas in clinical trial research;
Leading Questions:
- Is the point of informed consent conveying information as facts or enhancing the understanding of a potential participant in a research project or clinical trial?
- Is enhancing understanding by analogical reasoning an acceptable form of cultural translation?
- Is the point of informed consent to provide information to a potential participant in a clinical trial (or any research project) or to educate them?
- What kinds of translational research are necessary? What is the role of translation research in better understanding how participants understand informed consent forms and learning? What kinds of communication approaches might improve their comprehension?