Ethics and Epidemiology : International Guidelines

This book contains international guidelines formulated to ensure that epidemiological investigation, particularly research conducted by First World scientists in Third World countries, adheres to internationally agreed rules of ethical conduct.

The guidelines, drafted by an international steering committee, were formulated in response to the ethical issues raised by the application in epidemiology of information technology to large data-files, and particularly by HIV prevalence and monitoring studies, as well as clinical trials of candidate HIV vaccines and treatment drugs in Third World populations. The guidelines are centred on four basic principles of ethics - respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficencesm and justice.

Separate sections, moving from informed consent to conflict of interest, stipulate the ethical obligations of investigators themselves, their employers or sponsors, and the ethics committees that review their protocols.

Examples specific to the AIDS epidemic are used to clarify these obligations, particularly concerning questions of recruitment for clinical trialism confidentiality, and the use of linked and unlinked information.

The main part of this book consists of 15 papers presented at a conference.