Innovative Treatment - Medical Ethics

Innovative Treatment

·        Ethics committees must review research and innovative treatments

·        The difference:

o  Research is for the benefit of society and future patients

o  Treatment is for the benefit of the patient

o  Innovative practice sites between these

·        Defn: Innovative treatment is those procedures which are new to a particular provider setting in NZ, or which are being used for a new purpose (Has often been harmful, at a minimum it introduces greater or new risk of harm)

·        3 issues: 

o  Proving they are safe and effective. Issues here vary – if it is an established technique overseas the issue is whether the NZ practitioners are and will remain competent. If it‟s entirely new, is it safe? 

o   Etc. Proving safety is difficult in surgical procedures – the surgeon is gaining skill, case comparison is complicated, random allocation may be unethical. Safety should be established early on. Effectiveness should be assessed in a way that gives good statistical evidence 

o  Gaining informed consent to non-standard treatment

o  Defining what constitutes an innovative procedure