ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS: PLACEBO TREATMENTS IN RESEARCH

Question 1

ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS: Placebo treatments

Answer 1

• Informed consent requires that participants are aware of the purpose of the research
• Informed consent = they know what will be expected of them as they participate
• Researcher must either tell or decide them into belzeiveong that they are all receiving the therapy.
• One group = miss out on a biological treatment (they are disadvantaged and therefore could impact / increase unwanted effects or could relapse back)

Question 2

ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS: Placebo treatments

* The principle of beneficence

Answer 2

The principle of beneficence:

• Is it beneficial to device the participants into believing tat they are all receiving the therapy
• Researchers would have to put their proposal in detail up before the ethics committee of the institution = must receive permission to make such deception (provided the researchers perform debriefing and inform participants later)