{"id":2480,"date":"2013-06-20T22:08:42","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T21:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/?p=2480"},"modified":"2013-06-20T22:08:42","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T21:08:42","slug":"the-value-of-role-reversal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/2013\/06\/20\/the-value-of-role-reversal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Value of Role Reversal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Post by Rebecca Dresser,\u00a0Washington University in St. Louis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not so long ago, medical researchers had a habit of using themselves as guinea pigs.\u00a0 Many scientists saw self-experimentation as the most ethical way to try out their ideas.\u00a0 By going first, researchers could test their hypotheses and see how novel interventions affected human beings.<\/p>\n

Today we rely on a more systematic process to decide when to begin human testing, with experts and ethicists evaluating when a trial is justified.\u00a0 But a modified version of self-experimentation still makes sense.<\/p>\n

People who conduct human research, as well as those serving on research ethics boards, can learn a lot from volunteering for studies.\u00a0 Just as doctors learn from personal experience as patients, scientists and ethicists learn from personal experience as subjects.<\/p>\n

Looking at study requirements and the consent process from the subject\u2019s point of view can be quite educational.\u00a0 I discovered this myself when I was given the option of enrolling in a cancer treatment trial.\u00a0 I had never before realized that enrolling in a trial can delay the start of treatment, because of the extra appointments and procedures research enrollment can require.\u00a0 Nor had I realized that because cancer trials take years to finish, subjects in those trials may lose an opportunity to receive new drugs that emerge during that time.\u00a0 I\u2019ve spent three decades writing about research ethics and serving on research review boards, but I learned new things once I had to decide whether to become a subject myself.<\/p>\n

No one should be forced to participate in research, of course.\u00a0 But I encourage research professionals to consider becoming subjects themselves (not necessarily in their own trials, but in studies conducted by others).\u00a0 This modern version of self-experimentation might give researchers and ethicists a better sense of what people need to know before enrolling in a study.\u00a0 It might also give scientists and review committees a deeper understanding of the risks, inconveniences, and benefits that subjects experience in research.<\/p>\n

Rebecca’s paper “Personal Knowledge and Study Participation” is now available online first here<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Post by Rebecca Dresser,\u00a0Washington University in St. Louis Not so long ago, medical researchers had a habit of using themselves as guinea pigs.\u00a0 Many scientists saw self-experimentation as the most ethical way to try out their ideas.\u00a0 By going first, researchers could test their hypotheses and see how novel interventions affected human beings. Today […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,397],"tags":[317],"class_list":["post-2480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jme","category-research-ethics","tag-research"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Value of Role Reversal - Journal of Medical Ethics blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/2013\/06\/20\/the-value-of-role-reversal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Value of Role Reversal - Journal of Medical Ethics blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Guest Post by Rebecca Dresser,\u00a0Washington University in St. Louis Not so long ago, medical researchers had a habit of using themselves as guinea pigs.\u00a0 Many scientists saw self-experimentation as the most ethical way to try out their ideas.\u00a0 By going first, researchers could test their hypotheses and see how novel interventions affected human beings. 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