Why the ethics of medical education research differs from that of medical research

Why the ethics of medical education research differs from that of medical researchOlle ten Cate This journal has recently adjusted its requirements for research papers, referring to the World Medical Association's Helsinki Declaration on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.1,2 Many advances in medicine have been attained by research involving patients.Individual patients' best interests have sometimes been sacrificed for the benefit of future patients' health.Most countries have established legal regulations and procedures, based upon this declaration, along with institutional review boards (IRBs).Such universal requirements do not exist for education research or social science research in general.For this reason, many countries, but not all, have included medical education research in their ethical review procedures, which are designed for medical research.Human subjects here are usually students or residents, but teachers and patients can also be involved.This journal will now require proof of ethical research conduct before publication.This step can be considered to represent an advance in research standards and may be taken up by other journals in the field.Like patients, learners are potentially vulnerable subjects of research, specifically if the investigators simultaneously exercise power as teachers or examiners.