Health Research Ethics Commission

Research Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Public Health, Andalas University

Research activities contribute greatly to the development of science and knowledge. Therefore, research must be carried out ethically in accordance with internationally accepted research ethics standards, taking into account privacy, dignity of research subjects and also humane treatment of experimental animals.

A study involving humans as subjects can be accepted ethically if it is based on a valid scientific method. Research that is not scientifically valid means that research participants or their communities run the risk of harm or no benefit. Various arguments prove the extrinsic value of the science produced, for example: a) research that leads to a better quality of life and increased welfare, and b) many human lives have been saved as a result/product of research.

The implementation of these moral obligations is at the core of research ethics. The development of research ethics rests on the main issue of rational (thinking) and ethical review methods in research, in the context and framework for discussing various more specific issues. Consideration of the nature, value, and historical facts of the occurrence of research scandals, encourages the development of a code of ethics and ethical systems as well as mechanisms for universal research ethics control. Case studies are used to explore the types of ethical considerations that usually arise in relation to research that is supported by the concept of moral theory and its application, thus giving birth to the role of the research ethics commission (KEP).

The Research Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Public Health, Andalas University (KEP FKM Unand) was formed to support the implementation of moral obligations as the core of research ethics.