Research involving human subjects has led to ethical concerns, especially when research institutions from one country sponsor a research study in another country. It has been argued that rich countries, by carrying out studies in developing countries, are exploiting the population of these resource-deprived countries. This presentation will share the results of a study, commissioned by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, conducted to determine the perspectives of developing country researchers regarding the ethics of human subjects' research and their opinions about the guidelines for these collaborative research studies. Information about researchers involved in human subject research was collected from international organizations and a self-administered survey was used to gather information regarding their experiences and attitudes towards ethical guidelines and ethical review boards. The results are being analyzed to explore the perspectives of researchers from different developing regions of world - Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. Majority of the researchers are based in Asia, followed by Africa and in all the regions most of the research studies quoted addressed the topics of infectious diseases and health systems/health services. The expressed opinions of the researchers on issues like ethical review boards, collaborative research, and procedural issues will be presented. The study will highlight the differences in opinions regarding collaborative research, of the researchers from different parts of the developing world, and a comparison of the performance of review boards as viewed by researcher in their respective regions. This study represents the first empirical analysis of this nature in the literature.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation the participants will be able to: 1. Learn about the ethical review processes and the role played by ethical review boards to ensure ethical standards of research in developing countries; 2. Discuss the significance of collaborative research and to highlight the issues concerning such research studies; and 3. Analyze the regional differences in the opinions of researchers from different parts of the world.
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.