Should ethics be different in research and audit?

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7489.0-d

BMJ 2005;330 (26 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7489.0-d

Should ethics be different in research and audit?

Ethics committees, funding agencies, and journal editors oftendo not require evidence of ethical review for audits, whereasthey impose strict ethical considerations in research—soresearchers might be tempted to label research as audit. Onpage 468, Derick Wade argues that differences between auditand research are scarce and largely bureaucratic. He gives severalcase scenarios of ethical dilemmas, and concludes that ethicalaspects should be considered for every action within healthsystems, and external ethical review sought according to thenature and extent of moral conflict rather that the labellingof a study.