Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
-
Comparative Study
The ethics of scientific research: an analysis of focus groups of scientists and institutional representatives.
Little is known about scientists' views on normative research ethics and how these compare with the views of the institutional representatives (IRs) involved in matters of scientific conduct. We qualitatively evaluated scientist and IR perceptions of the norms of science, ethical violations and their harms, factors contributing to violations, and approaches to improve scientific conduct. ⋯ Scientists in these focus groups upheld a complex set of norms that mirror prior codes of science and exceed national misconduct rules. The sharply contrasting views of scientists and IRs concerning responsibility to report misconduct, the utility of misconduct investigation, and penalties for misconduct highlight areas where open discussion and constructive resolution are needed to formulate a functional mechanism to enhance the ethical conduct of science.
-
To characterize the New Orleans tuberculosis (TB) patient population and determine what factors might influence outcome, we followed inpatients with active disease at a large, public hospital who then received outpatient treatment at a public clinic. ⋯ Efforts to improve TB control should focus on increasing compliance, particularly among the homeless. Although expansion of DOT is essential, raising therapy completion rates to acceptable levels may require additional social services, financial incentives and enforceable legal remedies for noncompliance. More rigorous treatment guidelines are needed to assure consistent management of patients who receive interrupted treatment.