2. Increased Respect for Patient Autonomy & Human Research Subject Protection
Surgeons who are well versed in the ethics of surgical clinical research are better equipped to appreciate the vulnerable role their patients take on as research subjects. Patients who decide to participate in human subjects research are necessarily exposed to a greater number and variety of risks than if they were receiving standard clinical care.
While research conventions such as Informed Consent and IRB approval have been developed to bolster the protection of patients in these circumstances, their execution and success ultimately depends on surgeons' understanding and application of appropriate ethical guidelines.
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