Ethics and Epidemiological Research

Abstract

Ethical issues are greatly important in an epidemiological study as its subjects are usually human. Human right problemsdealing with the subjects such as privacy, confidentiality and participation of the eligible subjects can prevent the    investiga-tors from finding valid results. To deal with the aforementioned problems, a practical guideline concerning ethical issues in conducting an epidemiological study will be discussed. The guideline puts an emphasis on the significances of protocols and ethics committee, including responsibility of investigators, consent for participation, access to personal data-sources, confidentiality of personal data, consent to approach subjects, and communication of research to subjects.