Is Medical Ethics Really in the Best Interest of the Patient?

Date: 06/14/2010 to 06/16/2010

Location:
Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics
Uppsala University
PO box 564
751 22 Uppsala
Sweden

Further information: http://www.crb.uu.se/symposia/2010/index.html

Description: Medical ethics is practised by doctors and nurses on an everyday basis. It is also a rapidly expanding academic discipline and ethical review boards for medical research play a key role in the life sciences. The primary concern is, or at least should be, the best interest of current and future patients. But is this really so?

This multi-disciplinary international conference will raise questions about some of the key ethical issues of concern regarding medical research. The possibility to increase knowledge about diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease is the primary motive of medical research. Ethics is there in order to protect patients and promote their interests. But is medical ethics instrumental to this end?

The conference discusses three themes:

1.What is the role of informed consent in medical research?

2.Ethical review boards: are they important ethical safeguards or over-burdensome and unnecessary bureaucracy?

3.Should ideology be allowed to trump patient well-being?

Contact:
Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics
Uppsala University
PO box 564
751 22 Uppsala
Sweden
Phone: +46 - 18 - 4 71 62 22
crb@crb.uu.se
http://www.crb.uu.se/

Organizer: The conference is arranged by Cesagen at the universities of Lancaster and Cardiff and the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics at Uppsala University.

Keywords: ethics committees; research ethics; research ethics committees; research law; health system; medical ethics