Introduction to the ethics and science of clinical research

Scientific research is defined as the systematic collection of information to produce generalizable findings. Clinical research is a subset of all scientific research and is defined as the systematic collection of information from humans and/or from organic material taken from humans to produce generalizable findings. The goal of clinical research is to accrue knowledge to improve the diagnosis and/or treatment of human diseases. Clinical research identifies, accumulates, organizes, and interprets information about the function of the human body in health and disease. Clinical research is vastly different from clinical medicine. Although clinical research requires knowledge and skill in the practice of clinical medicine, clinical research involves human participants in the scientific enterprise of producing new information anticipated to benefit future patients. Although some research participants may benefit directly from their enrolment in studies, individualized benefit is not always the primary goal of conducting a clinical research study.