CHECK THE BASICS

For Exercise 7.1, see page 143; for Exercise 7.2, see page 144; for Exercise 7.3, see page 146; for Exercise 7.4, see page 151.

Question 7.5

7.5 Institutional review board. The purpose of an institutional review board is

  1. (a) to decide whether a proposed study will produce valuable information.

  2. (b) to protect the rights of human subjects (including patients) recruited to participate in research activities.

  3. (c) to decide whether a proposed study is statistically sound.

  4. (d) all of the above.

Question 7.6

7.6 Informed consent. Informed consent should include

  1. (a) consent by the subject, usually in writing.

  2. (b) information, in advance, about the nature of a study.

  3. (c) information, in advance, about possible risks.

  4. (d) all of the above.

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Question 7.7

7.7 Confidentiality? If, in a study, it is not possible to determine which subjects produced which data, we would say

  1. (a) the subjects are anonymous.

  2. (b) the study is confidential, but subjects are not anonymous.

  3. (c) the study is double-blind.

  4. (d) the study is blind, but not double-blind.

Question 7.8

7.8 Clinical trials. A clinical trial is

  1. (a) an observational study held in a controlled, clinical environment.

  2. (b) an experiment to study the effectiveness of medical treatments on actual patients.

  3. (c) any study performed in a medical clinic.

  4. (d) the review, by a court, of ethical violations in medical studies.

Question 7.9

7.9 Ethics. Which of the following would be considered unethical in an experiment?

  1. (a) Failure to obtain informed consent from subjects

  2. (b) Promising confidentiality to subjects but failing to protect it

  3. (c) Placing the interests of science over the interests of patients

  4. (d) All of the above