In the video, a pharmaceutical company conducts unethical drug experiments on inhabitants of Kenya, an African underdeveloped country. In the actual world, unethical drug studies are still more likely to occur. This is due to a variety of factors. First, clinical research is increasingly being undertaken in poor and middle-income nations by educational institutions and other medical companies. This enables corporations to exploit the poor inhabitants of these countries. Their poor financial situations present an opportunity that these firms can seize for their own gain. Secondly, a majority of these underdeveloped nations either lack standards to regulate trials of this nature or are too corrupt to enforce laws and regulations associated with conducting drug trials. Finally, a majority of the ethical principles that govern the conduct of medical research in the United States are not embraced universally. Some principles such as autonomy and individuals are often frowned upon in underdeveloped nations (Weigmann, 2015).
However, there are safeguards in place to ensure that unethical drug trials are not conducted. One of these safeguards is the National Research Act, which led to the establishment of guidelines meant to dictate the manner in which human subjects ought to be treated during a research study. A majority of the guidelines developed call for researchers to seek the consent of the study subjects before commencing trials. Consent should also be attained after providing all relevant information, including possible negative effects of the drug being tested (Weigmann, 2015). At the same time, they are also prevented from conducting tests on minors. Researchers should also refrain from exploiting members of marginalized and disadvantaged groups of individuals. When these guidelines and ethical principles are followed, then the occurrence of unethical drug trials can be prevented.
A good example of an unethical healthcare study is the Hepatitis E vaccine trial conducted in Nepal in1998. A company that conducts medical-related research for the United States' army was working on a Hepatitis E vaccine. The disease is common in underdeveloped and developing nations. When US troops visit these places, they often return home with the disease. Before the trial was started, the companies involved had already determined that a successful trial would not result in the commercial release of the vaccine. Furthermore, the companies had also decided that it would be not suit the US soldiers. Despite this, and increased opposition from the local NGOs in Nepal, trials were continued. Soldiers were offered for the study after different factions opposed trials on the Nepalese population, which was considered illiterate and vulnerable. Despite the soldiers' vulnerability to coercion due to their poor economic status, the trials were conducted (SOMO, 2008).
A nurse can advocate for ethical healthcare in cases involving drug trials. This is because the nurse plays an important role in clinical research. The nurse provides care for patients before, during and following the completion of trials. The nurse also works closely with the investigators. Nurses are also considered a critical part of designing, planning and conducting research studies. Their roles demand that they attain their primary obligation to the patient, which is to not only offer care but advocate for the patient's proper treatment. They must also advocate for the humane treatment of human test subjects and their families (Grady & Edgerly, 2009). Furthermore, the close working relation with the patient places the nurse at a better position to assess the patient's treatment and determine whether it is in the patient's best interests and that it does not conflict his interests and values.
References
Grady, C. & Edgerly, M. (2009). Science, technology, and innovation: Nursing responsibilities in clinical research. Nurs Clin North Am, 44(4), 471-81.
SOMO briefing paper on ethics in clinical trials: #1: Examples of unethical trials. Retrieved on 8th Dec, 2017 from https://www.wemos.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/examples_of_unethical_trials_feb_2008.pdf
Weigmann, K. (2015). The ethics of global clinical trials. EMBO Rep., 16(5), 566-70.
