‘Accountability in Clinical Research’ conference April 24-26

By Joe Stuteville

Meslin

Moe

Such issues will be tackled Wednesday through Friday, April 24-26, by Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) physicians and researchers and other prominent scientists at a national forum at the University Place Conference Center at IUPUI. “Accountability in Clinical Research: Balancing Risk and Benefit,” sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), will examine the management, conduct, funding and accountability of research involving human subjects.

Dr. Sharon Moe, assistant dean for research support at IUSM, will lead talks in a session about the role of oversight in assuring patient safety in clinical research. Eric Meslin, director of the IU Center for Bioethics, will take the lead in discussing the quality and content of information supplied to research patients about their roles and risks.

Media interest in biomedical research also has increased sharply, often focusing on controversial incidents involving health outcomes of patients. Dr. David Crabb, chairman of the IUSM Department of Medicine, and members of Indianapolis’ news media will discuss and analyze real and hypothetical situations and responses to media coverage.

“This conference opens the door to continued dialogue about patient safety issues in clinical research settings,” said Dr. Carol Ley, chair of NPSF’s board of directors. “The insight and experiences shared at this conference will be invaluable to health-care professionals, researchers, consumers and government entities—all essential in moving patient safety messages to a new level.”

Today’s health-care consumers, payers, providers and professionals recognize the significant impact that errors and patient harm have on patients, family members and staff safety. These and related issues will be probed April 22-24, at the NPSF Annenberg IV Conference, “Patient Safety: Let’s Get Practical.”

http://www.researchsafety.org

http://www.mederrors.org/index.html