Research ethics in developing countries
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Date
2005-05
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ Open
Abstract
The profession of epidemiology has at its foundation the maintenance, enhancement, and
promotion of public health by better understanding the determinants of disease.epidemiologists
therefore, in the course of practice, should be accountable for the work that they perform as guided
by national and international ethics guidelines, policies and established policies. In the recent
years, there has been a growing trend for collaborative research between institutions in the north
and those in the south. This is a result of changing pattern of diseases, emerging diseases (for
example EBOLA) and re-emerging conditions (for example tuberculosis). Cultural diversity,
different working environments, national policies, and guidelines are some of the issues that may
influence research ethics in collaborative research. While research ethics may be well established
in institutions in the developed countries, the same is not in many developing countries.Lack of
established structures for dealing with research ethics, poorly constituted ethics review boards,
underfunding of research review boards, lack of training of human resources on research ethics,
poor research management, lack of awareness of international ethical guidelines and standards,
inadequate knowledge of the rights of subjects, illiteracy, poverty, and increased of vulnerability
of communities are major challenges of research ethics in developing countries. It is suggested
that researchers from the north and those from the south should work closely to understand the
context of research ethics in developing countries and facilitate promotion of ethical standards in
research in developing countries.
Description
Keywords
Research ethics, Developing countries, Symposium
Citation
Mashalla, Yohana J., 2005. Research ethics in developing countries. Conference: International symposium on epidemiology in occupational health programmes At: Occupational Environmental Medicine, BMJ Open Volume: 62:11 e5