On the Utility and Distinctness of the Concept of Behavioral Equipoise

American Journal of Bioethics 11 (2):9-10 (2011)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In their paper, “Behavioral Equipoise: A Way to Resolve Ethical Stalemates in Clinical Research, “ Peter Ubel and Robert Silbergleit (2011) propose that we adopt another principle, the principle of behavioral equipoise, whereby RCTs are also morally justified in cases where they are expected to address the controversy, disagreement, or behavioral resistance surrounding a particular treatment. Adopting this ethical standard would allow for research to move forward and, as a result, for the resolution of stalemates between clinicians who hold opposing views. There are two points that I would like to make in terms of objections to Ubel and Silbergleit’s argument, and then I want to emphasize what I think is particularly valuable about their argument. First, I dispute the move from the claim that the principle of clinical equipoise creates (or does not resolve) stalemates to the conclusion that adopting the principle of behavioral equipoise would dissolve stalemates. My second objection concerns the distinctness of the concept of behavioral equipoise fromthe concept of clinical equipoise. That said, I do think that Ubel and Silbergleit make an important point, and that is that one cause of equipoise is the behavioral and psychological factors of those responding to data.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The irrelevance of equipoise.Robert M. Veatch - 2007 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 32 (2):167 – 183.
Equipoise: Beyond rehabilitation?Jerry Menikoff - 2003 - Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 13 (4):347-351.
Clinical equipoise and the incoherence of research ethics.Franklin G. Miller & Howard Brody - 2007 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 32 (2):151 – 165.
Revisiting equipoise: A response to Gifford.Paul B. Miller & Charles Weijer - 2007 - Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 17 (3):227-246.
The real problem with equipoise.Winston Chiong - 2006 - American Journal of Bioethics 6 (4):37 – 47.
So-called "clinical equipoise" and the argument from design.Fred Gifford - 2007 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 32 (2):135 – 150.
Rehabilitating Equipoise.Paul B. Miller & Charles Weijer - 2003 - Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 13 (2):93-118.
Pulling the plug on clinical equipoise: A critique of Miller and Weijer.Fred Gifford - 2007 - Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 17 (3):203-226.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-02-19

Downloads
33 (#419,244)

6 months
1 (#1,042,085)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Jennifer Swindell Blumenthal-Barby
Baylor College of Medicine

References found in this work

Add more references