In Plain Sight: a Solution to a Fundamental Challenge in Human Research

The physician-researcher conflict of interest has thus far eluded satisfactory solution. Most attempts to deal with it focus on improving informed consent. But those attempts are not successful and may even make things worse. Research subjects are already voluntarily undertaking the risks of research--we should not ask them to go it alone--to undergo medical "treatment" without medical "care." The only effective solution is that in much clinical research, each research subject should have a doctor independent from the research study.