Considerations of Human Subject Research

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Human Subject Research Human medical experiments are also known as human subject research. The Department of Health and Human Services describes a human research subject as a living person whom a researcher obtains data from. Human subject research is basically an experiment that is conducted to be used as research or clinically oriented that involves the use of humans for the experimentation. It involves both the gathering and evaluation of the information collected to answer a specific question. Some examples of clinically oriented studies include the analysis of biological specimens, epidemiological and behavioral studies. Some examples of research oriented studies include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. Human subject studies are used in various fields, including research on basic biology, clinical medicine, nursing, psychology, sociology, political science, and anthropology. As early as the 19th century, human experiments have been performed in the U.S, which later were characterized as being unethical. Most of the experiments were performed illegally, and without the consent of the subjects being tested. The Majority of the tests being performed were on children and the mentally ill. A large number of those subjects were poor, minorities, and prisoners in many of the studies. Medical Experiments Conducted Today Although I do not know of anyone who has participated in any human experiments, there are hundreds that take place every year. Some that I have come across for the year 2013 alone may have merit. One study that was conducted this year was how cell phone usage may be tied to college student’s anxiety. The study suggests that college students who can’t keep their hands off their mobile devices,... ... middle of paper ... ...to generate safety data, adverse drug reactions and adverse effects. Works Cited Avid Cellphone Use by College Kids Tied to Anxiety, Lower Grades. (2013, December 13). Retrieved December 20, 2013, from Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_143389.html Human Subjects Research in the News. (2013, November). Retrieved December 23, 2013, from The University of Iowa: http://hso.research.uiowa.edu/news-all Clinical Trials and Human Subject Protection. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2013, from Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/RunningClinicalTrials/default.htm Veracity, D. (2006, march 6). Human medical experimentation in the United States: The shocking true history of modern medicine and psychiatry (1833-1965). Retrieved December 19, 2013, from Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/019189.html#

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