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Policy Needs Regarding the Duty to Protect in Epidemiological Research with High-Risk Populations

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Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of policy directives needed to respond to threats of harm (e.g., violence against third parties) that may arise in the course of conducting descriptive epidemiological research with high-risk populations. It identifies two key areas where new policies must be developed to guide researchers conducting such investigations. The paper recommends that: (1) an NIH consensus panel be convened to set standards, analogous to Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) criteria, to classify the severity of different types of indirect, non-research-related risk; and (2) case-based training modules be developed and incorporated into public health research ethics courses and training programs, to enhance researcher judgments in determining the likelihood of harm in different situations. In addition, researchers, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and community advisory groups must consider the issue of staff safety and the effectiveness of available responses to reduce the threat of harm. The author reviews and discusses implications for informed consent and IRB review.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Dr. Franklin G Miller of the NIH Department of Clinical Bioethics for his helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Community Health Education, 306 Arnold House, Amherst, 01003, MA, USA

    David R Buchanan

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  1. David R Buchanan
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Correspondence to David R Buchanan.

Additional information

This paper identifies areas in need of policy development in the United States to guide researchers conducting epidemiological investigations with high risk populations. Researchers' responsibilities for responding to threats of harm in this domain have been overlooked although risks of harm in clinical experiments involving human subjects have received extensive attention.

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Buchanan, D. Policy Needs Regarding the Duty to Protect in Epidemiological Research with High-Risk Populations. J Public Health Pol 27, 293–308 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200084

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