Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Medical Ethics and Disclosure
Conflict between Medical Research & Ethics: Case of Tuskegee Syphilis
Introduction
Each day medical providers and researchers make decisions about what information is necessary to disclose to patients and under what circumstances they should make disclosures. In the clinical setting, the negative implications of a poorly considered disclosure decision can involve simple problems such as a patient being unaware that a medication may cause nausea. However, some disclosure decisions can have more serious consequences such as a patient undergoing intensive treatment without sufficient knowledge of their poor prognosis. ( L. Carroll, 2001) In the research setting, the result of nondisclosure can range from a subject not understanding their time commitment of trial participation to more extreme consequences--such as a subject participating in research without being aware of life-threatening risks.( James H. Jones, 1993)