Since the science of epidemiology studies humans, there are many limits on how research can be conducted, as well as many pitfalls in interpreting the results. Current studies on humans funded by the federal government must obey strict ethical rules, including informed consent by the patients and review of the study design by institutional review boards. Drug companies are required by the FDA to conduct randomized clinical trials, accepted to be the gold standard of study, demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of all new drugs. All trials must be registered in a public database to prevent the drug companies from hiding or publishing biased research.
Please discuss the following questions in your initial post:
- Based on what you have read in your reading assignment, should scientists conduct research on humans? Why or why not?
- Should randomized clinical trials be considered the gold standard of study even though they include humans? Why or why not?
- What are the errors associated with sampling and studying humans?
