Unfortunately*, providing treatment that you believe is standard of care and performing follow-up tests to ensure the outcome of that treatment does not require IRB oversight of any kind. Neither do attempts to optimize or track the care provided.
That the standard of care has been written by people delusional enough to believe that cutting up a baby's clitoris is in their best interest is a different issue. But the ethical breach was in the surgical and follow-up decisions, not in the decision to bypass IRB oversight until immediately before he wanted to publish.
*in this case it is unfortunate. In others**, rather important leaps of medical practice have been brought about by practitioners trying something just a little bit different. So it's not black and white. Oh, how I wish it were.
**most medications are allowed to be prescribed for their indicated purpose as well as any other reason for which the doctor thinks they would be effective. I'd hate to have my MD say, "well, I think this would work, but since no formal research has been done, we can't give it a try. Come back if I get funding for this study..." I'd much rather have them say, "no formal research has been done, but it seems like it could help. Can we give it a shot?"
Goodness that got long-winded. I'm done here, now to go write a letter to Cornell.
no subject
Unfortunately*, providing treatment that you believe is standard of care and performing follow-up tests to ensure the outcome of that treatment does not require IRB oversight of any kind. Neither do attempts to optimize or track the care provided.
That the standard of care has been written by people delusional enough to believe that cutting up a baby's clitoris is in their best interest is a different issue. But the ethical breach was in the surgical and follow-up decisions, not in the decision to bypass IRB oversight until immediately before he wanted to publish.
*in this case it is unfortunate. In others**, rather important leaps of medical practice have been brought about by practitioners trying something just a little bit different. So it's not black and white. Oh, how I wish it were.
**most medications are allowed to be prescribed for their indicated purpose as well as any other reason for which the doctor thinks they would be effective. I'd hate to have my MD say, "well, I think this would work, but since no formal research has been done, we can't give it a try. Come back if I get funding for this study..." I'd much rather have them say, "no formal research has been done, but it seems like it could help. Can we give it a shot?"
Goodness that got long-winded. I'm done here, now to go write a letter to Cornell.