Professional ethics: an overview from health research ethics point of view

The advancement of the medical field has been to a large extent made possible by the hard work contributed by researchers all over the world. The pool of knowledge generated through research is the basis for diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions and policies that continue to improve the quality of life for mankind. Health researchers are the ones who interact directly with research participants as they implement research protocols. Although other players involved in health research such as Ethics Review Committees, Regulatory Authorities, Data Safety and Monitoring Boards, and sponsors help to ensure that the health research meets internationally acceptable scientific and ethical standards, researchers could be considered to be the major determining factor as to whether the research is actually done properly. Although professional associations of health researchers help to uphold the integrity of their members, there is need to complement the efforts of such associations and sensitize researchers on the ethical implications of some acts of commission or omission, done inadvertently or knowingly, that may not be adequately addressed by requirements of the associations. This paper gives an overview of professional ethics from the point of view of health research ethics, and concludes that alerting health researchers about these issues is not only good for the protection of the welfare of research participants, but is also critical for the carrier development of the researchers, be they junior or senior.