Aagaard-Hansen Jens, Johansen Maria Vang, Riis Povl
Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory, Jaegersborg Allé 1D, DK-2920 Charlottenlund.
Dan Med Bull. 2004 Feb;51(1):117-20.
The scope of health research has increased considerably during the last three to four decades, both geographically and regarding the range of disciplines participating in biomedical research. In other words cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary projects are much more common in the World's biomedical research of today. For the large part that involves human research subjects, ethics based on fundamental human values is still an integrated part of project planning and management. However, in the light of the increasing complexity of research, the controlling codes (i.e. laws, declarations, conventions and guidelines) have undergone important changes and have increased considerably in numbers. Hence, groups from different disciplines and cultures need to adjust their projects' research ethical policies and implementations in accordance with the various codes' common denominators. Sometimes research ethical codes are even incompatible at certain points. The article describes key ethical aspects of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary projects, with special emphasis on acquiring consent, avoiding harm, attending to needs, and describing the obligations when a project is over. On this background the authors conclude that researchers in the planning phase of a project should: 1) seek knowledge and professional advice related to the transgression of cultural and disciplinary borders, 2) introduce a long-term perspective for a project's activities and consequences, and 3) select the appropriate among the existing many ethical codes. These suggestions apply to several stakeholders: researchers, scientific societies, agencies for scientific support, information and ethical control, as well as research political agencies.
在过去三到四十年间，健康研究的范围在地理上以及参与生物医学研究的学科范围方面都有了显著增长。换句话说，跨文化和跨学科项目在当今世界的生物医学研究中更为常见。在很大程度上，这涉及到人类研究对象，基于基本人类价值观的伦理道德仍是项目规划和管理中不可或缺的一部分。然而，鉴于研究的复杂性日益增加，控制规范（即法律、宣言、公约和指南）发生了重大变化，数量也大幅增加。因此，来自不同学科和文化的群体需要根据各种规范的共同标准调整其项目的研究伦理政策和实施方式。有时，研究伦理规范在某些方面甚至相互矛盾。本文描述了跨文化和跨学科项目的关键伦理方面，特别强调获得同意、避免伤害、关注需求以及在项目结束时描述义务。在此背景下，作者得出结论，项目规划阶段的研究人员应：1）寻求与跨越文化和学科界限相关的知识和专业建议；2）为项目活动及其后果引入长期视角；3）在现有的众多伦理规范中选择合适的规范。这些建议适用于多个利益相关者：研究人员、科学协会、科学支持、信息和伦理控制机构以及研究政策机构。
