The Ethics of Pediatric Clinical Trials

Abstract

Children are a unique population with developmental and anatomical differences from adults, so they require age-specific medical treatments. In order to develop these specialized medical treatments, clinical trials must be conducted on pediatric patients. However, the participation of children in research and clinical trials presents ethical concerns. This study explores the ethical issues and concerns that arise from pediatric clinical trials through a qualitative phenomenological study based on interviews of medical professionals and physicians. Interviews of guardians of children who have participated in a pediatric clinical trial were conducted as well, with a primary focus on gathering their first hand accounts of pediatric clinical trials. Through a thematic analysis of the two groups of interviews, ethical issues, concerns, and challenges did arise. Limitations and implications from this study suggest future directions for other researchers. Future researchers should continue to look into this topic as healthcare is constantly evolving and changing.