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Invited remarks
Author(s) -
Hamilton Michael T.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt1979255part2647
Subject(s) - legislature , clinical trial , political science , politics , subject (documents) , state (computer science) , protocol (science) , public administration , public support , public policy , public health , medicine , medical research , public relations , alternative medicine , law , nursing , pathology , algorithm , library science , computer science
As an ethicist, I am strongly in support of clinical trials, double blind, randomized, and with data‐monitoring committees whenever appropriate. I am also in favor of having ethicists and other representati ves of the public on the policy and protocol review boards of clinical trials. We bring a different perspecti ve from that of physicians and other health professionals, and, since ultimately both public funding and medical research policy are subject to public judgment acting through state and federal legislatures and also through the courts, our presence, though troublesome at times, enables the public better to trust and support national ventures in medical research. These arguments for the presence of nonmedical members on clinical trial boards are of a political nature, and the following are moral considerations.