HIV Case Study
Several researches have been carried out on the subject of HIV regarding the contributing factors to a positive test like ethnicity, race, social-economic status, age and gender. HIV research study has several benefits and risks on participants, investigators and the society which should be considered before carrying out the research. The paper will discuss these risks and benefits, and the level of institutional review required to ensure adequacy of the research.
Potential risk to the participants of the research and the community include intrusion of privacy and breach of confidentiality in the cases where the researcher is not keen on protecting confidentiality of information provided. Invasion of privacy and breach of confidentiality pose a risk to participants in that the leaked information may expose them to discrimination and stigmatization from the society.
Participating in the research may also induce feelings of embarrassment, stress, and guilt, which could leave the participants with a negative outlook towards life and healthy living. Participation in the study may also impose economic risks to the participants and the society especially in the case where they are held responsible for transportation and testing costs. The research could also consume a lot of time due to frequent visits to the study site which affects both the researcher and participants.
Benefits of participating in the study include getting free physical examinations, testing, medical care, and regular check-ups. Participants also get the opportunity to access new treatment before it could be availed to others. Participants may also acquire information about resources and support groups, which can better their lives. Researchers can acquire recognitions from the research and acquire scholarships for further studies and future researches.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) board review is required since the research may involve some potential risks to the human subjects. Again it is a legal requirement to form a committee that would assess the adequacy of protection of the participants from harm and breach of confidentiality for all researches funded by the government.