Pioneering Past and Bright of Impactful Research and Scholarly Achievements

“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 18 The US National Bioethics Advisory Commission also recognized the culture-sensitive issues in collaborative research between US-based and developing country researchers and has issued some guidelines to cover such issues. Such culture-sensitive issues include appropriate ways: to disclose information, to obtain informed consent, to describe protocols and procedures, to explain the language of health and disease and show respect to individuals recruited into research protocols. Conducting successful clinical research involves recruitment of subjects and ensuring that participation continues until the study is concluded. This sometimes involves ethical decisions on the appropriate inducement and rewards for research participants. However in poor communities, the risk of being swayed by material inducement into participation in highly risky research is great – due to poverty, the preponderance of vulnerable groups, the asymmetry of information and the myths, folklore and ignorance about western medical practices and general lack of access to modern services. In such poor communities, the risk of exploitation is so great that ethical guidelines should include consideration of the approval process and consultationwith local ethics committees, the evaluation of the extent of risk of exposure to new drugs (especially new HIV/AIDS vaccines and other drugs that may cause potential harm), the responsibility of researchers to the community even when the intervention is successful, the appropriate standard of care and treatment intervention, and the ability of developing countries to monitor and determine their own research agenda. Above all, the question arises as to what is fair practice for inducing and rewarding participation in research, especially in developing countries. The most controversial issue in recruitment in clinical and non-clinical research is payment. This form of inducement or reward has particular cultural dimensions on what to pay, how to pay or who to pay. Editor’s Note: Presented at the 1st UWI Latin-America-Caribbean Ethics Conference, April 28-30, 2005. The full paper was published in the Journal of Arts, Science & Technology, Volume 2, 2005.