The Importance of Research Ethics for Medical Law

Within the traditional medical curriculum, the teaching of law and ethics has often been both scarce and eclectic. Yet the practice of good medicine inevitably raises legal and ethical issues and demands an understanding of both. The issue of breach of conduct in science serves as a contact point between the institutions of a scientific community and the institutions of law. Legal institutions are beginning to exert significant influence upon the practice of science. Through the medium of research misconduct, the institutions of science are being driven toward a more rigid and formal structure reflecting that of legal institutions. The result of this profound formalization, so foreign to science, will likely alter the practice of science forever. There are numerous ways in which the knowledge that physicians have about medical ethics, bioethics, research ethics, and law can have a more direct impact on both medical research and the type and quality of care that the patient receives. In order to provide medical care in an ethical and humane way, physicians need to be better educated about specific aspects of ethical medical practice and learn to think critically about the increasingly complex world of medical research and practice