SHOULD WE 'EXPERIMENT' ON CHILDREN? (page 1 of 4)
First page | Previous page | Next page | Last page
Children have never been healthier. Much of the improvement in health has been due to non-medical factors, largely social, and there is still an enormous disparity in health between rich and poor. However, medical interventions have had a significant part to play and will continue to do so. The last few years have seen a determination to move from eminence-based to evidence-based medicine, and the randomised controlled trial methodology has gained even more importance. We have also seen a move to much more open communication between professionals and patients, and detailed explicit consent is now required before entry into clinical research. The 60-page standard ethics form from the Department of Health in England is a clear expression of this.1
Children are different from adults. We cannot extrapolate automatically from the results of research undertaken in adults and expect that similar results would have been obtained in children. There are, for example, fundamental physiological differences which influence the metabolism of drugs. If we want evidence-based medicine for children we will have to do investigations in children to provide that evidence. However, there are many special issues around research in children which need to be considered. Babies and young children cannot give consent, so parents or guardians must take on this role. The age at which children/young people should be involved in decision-making and are competent to give consent is also a matter of debate.
First page | Previous page | Next page | Last page
