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 O N L I N E   R E S E A R C H   E T H I C S   C O U R S E

Section Six: Human Participation in Research

CASE STUDY: Blood in the Lab

Jim should discuss the matter with the Lab Director or the Institutional Research Integrity Officer.

Good choice.

There are a number of problems here relating to the use of human participants in research. The concern relates to those lab employees who become unwitting "volunteers."

First, drawing blood to use as controls counts as "intervention" for purposes of research. A proposal must be completed by the PI, and reviewed by IRB, regarding the use of human participants. The IRB will want to know how the PI is protecting the privacy of those who provide blood for the control group and what safeguards the PI has put in place to ensure that giving blood is truly a voluntary act.

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