Ethics confidentiality

The confidentiality of records that could identify subjects should be protected to assure their privacy The trials must be accepted by an Independent Ethics Committee (lECj/lnstitutional Review Board (IRB) before commencing the study... 

No matter how skillfully are confidentiality or secrecy agreements written, high ethical standards on both sides are needed. Larceny runs deep in the human soul, and if something has value, someone will always try to steal it. 

Modern review boards or independent ethics committees (lECs) are required to act on behalf of the community in deciding whether the proposed research is justified on ethical grounds. They also act on behalf of members of the community in ensuring that there are sufficient safeguards to protect those individuals who directly participate in the research, and, for both the study subjects and those not directly participating, that confidentiality of participant s medical information will be maintained. 

Then there are questions of ethics, patient confidentiality, informed consent and ethics committee approval to be addressed, as well as the whole... 

Following inspection, an inspection report shall be prepared. It must be made available to the sponsor while safeguarding confidential aspects. It may be made available to the other Member States, to the Ethics Committee and to the Agency, at their reasoned request. 

Three main research projects informed this book. Full ethical approval from the University of Glasgow was received for each of these studies. Participants were assured confidentiality within the confines of the Children s Act (1995) Scotland. All interviews were taped and fully transcribed with the consent of the participant. Most of the interviews took about an hour and most of those with relatives were carried out in their homes. These studies are described below whilst also providing an outline of the book s contents. 

Informed consent is in some sense the ethical cornerstone on which human subjects protection rests. It requires that individuals understand their part in a study and the potential consequences, and are free to choose to participate. As Levine has argued, the consent process should include specific elements an invitation to participate a statement of the purpose of the study the basis of participant selection and explanation of procedures, risks, and discomforts how untoward consequences will be handled the benefits of participation alternatives to participation financial consideration confidentiality opportunities for continuing disclosure and measures for ensuring that a person s decision to participate is voluntary (Levine, 1981). 

Veatch, Robert M., and Amy Haddad. Case Studies in Pharmacy Ethics. Oxford Oxford University Press, 2008. The ethical issues relate to difficult decisions faced by pharmacists (rather than pharmaceutical companies). Examples of the topics covered in this book include assisted suicide, conscientious refusal, pain management, equitable distribution of drug resources within institutions and managed care plans, confidentiality, and alternative and nontraditional therapies. Another ethical issue concerns weighing costs and benefits in helping consumers choose drugs. 

Schulte, P.A., and M.H. Sweeney. 1995. Ethical considerations, confidentiality issues, rights of human subjects, and uses of monitoring data in research and regulation. Environ. Health Perspect. 103(Suppl. 3) 69-74. 

An essential element of any medical program is informed patient consent prior to the performance of any test or procedure. Although informed consent is not specifically mentioned in the ACOEM components of occupational and environmental health programs, it is inherent in the ethical practice of medicine. The ACOEM Code of Ethical Conduct (adopted October 25,1993) states that physicians should relate honestly and ethically in all professional relationships. Also, the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics has issued guidance relative to patient consent, confidentiality of medical records, and communication of the results of tests and procedures (AOEC, 1987). 

The research was conducted in accordance with the Statement of Ethical Practice of the British Sociological Association with regard to informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality. Data collected from the interviews were presented as general statements resulting from the analysis. 

Ethics—Maintain professional behavior in the practice of health services delivery and maintain the confidentiality of clients in all settings. 

Pharmacists then deliver the prescribed drugs to patients or to patients designees and provide counseling about proper drug use. Cooperation between pharmacists and prescribers is vital to patients best health interests and often results in positive refinements in the drug use process.The spirit of trust and commitment to high ethical and professional standards with regard to confidentiality of patient information is, of course, essential in the prescriber-pharmacist relationship. 

Because of its culture and values (Box 8.2), 3M for many years has been adopting the precepts of sustainability. Implicit in these values is the expectation that the company will act in a way that preserves the trust of its constituencies. 3M is committed to the highest ethical standards and to transparency whenever possible (that is, when transparency does not compromise confidentiality or intellectual property). 

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