Core Curriculum

Rationale and Objectives

Scholarly activity, which may include research, is now a required element of resident training. In addition, residents are required to participate in a systems-based practice or quality improvement project. Residency programs are expected to provide training for these endeavors but may lack the necessary resources. This work is intended to provide a core curriculum in research ethics for radiology residents to help fulfill that need.

Materials and Methods

The material was developed through discussion and collaboration of the authors, review of pertinent literature, and consultation with experts in the field.

Results

This work includes a brief introduction to the topic, followed by cases designed to highlight the issues inherent in informed consent, privacy, the disclosure of results, authorship, study subjects, and health services research.

Conclusion

Radiology residents are expected to learn about the design, performance, reporting, and critical evaluation of research. All of these elements can potentially raise ethical issues. Understanding the underlying ethical issues is critical for the future of radiology research.

For research to provide useful results, it is critical to maintain strict adherence to a carefully designed research protocol, keep meticulous records, and use rigorous logic in drawing conclusions from the data. It is easy for researchers to become so deeply engaged in obtaining useful results that they allow ethical concerns to recede from their attention. The following is intended to introduce residents to principles of ethics as they pertain to the design, performance, and reporting of radiology research.

In 1974, the National Research Act created the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research ( ). A charge of this commission was to identify the underlying ethical principles that should govern the treatment of research subjects and to develop guidelines for researchers on the basis of these principles. These principles were summarized in a report, issued in 1979, titled The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research ( ). The three basic principles provided by the Belmont Report —respect for persons, beneficence, and justice—were arrived at to achieve a consensus. They were considered to be comprehensive, but much more detail is needed for the principles to provide guidance for the ethical conduct of research.

Core Curriculum

Rationale and Objectives

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusion

Respect for Persons

Beneficence

Justice

Specific issues addressed in this report

Subject Privacy

Early Disclosure of Trial Results

Authorship

Radiologists as Study Subjects

Health Services Research

The IRB

Conclusion

Case 1: Informed consent

Case 2: Informed consent

Case 3: Conflict of interest

Case 4: De-identification of study records

Case 5: Authorship

Case 6: Radiologists as study subjects

Case 7: Health services research

Acknowledgments

References

Further Reading

A Feasibility Study on Model-based Evaluation of Kidney Perfusion Measured by Means of FAIR Prepared True-FISP Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) on a 3-T MR Scanner

Abstracts of Funded National Institutes of Health Grants

Assessment of Radiologist Performance in the Detection of Lung Nodules