In an article written by Antonanzas, Rive, Badenas, Gomez- Lus and Guilhaume (2006), the different style of treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) was found to have implications on research. In the United States and many other developed countries, AD patients are often institutionalized at a certain point of the disease when they are said to cause a burden on their caregivers. In Spain, AD is rarely a disease that institutionalizes a person; they are regularly taken care of by a caregiver in the community till the end. Researchers in Spain found that due to their different views on AD care, much of the research available could not be applied to their country and adaptions to research had to be made. Researchers had their sights set on finding out whether drugs that lowered care costs in countries that institutionalized AD patients would have the same effect in a country that mainly does not (p. 137).
The purpose of the research done by Antonanzas and colleagues was to determine the cost benefits and the benefits on health and quality of life (if any) of using the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug Memantine. After seeing improvements in the cost reduction of care in the US and other developed countries, researchers in Spain adapted a model to fit their style of care for AD patients. They hoped to find out whether Memantine would help improve the lives of AD patients, their caregivers, and the country itself (Antonanzas, Rive, Badenas, Gomez-Lus, & Guilhaume, 2006, p. 137).
Researchers involved in the study on Memantine, sought to answer whether the already lower costs of AD care in Spain could be lowered even more by the use of the only drug approved for use in moderate to severe AD. The lower costs of ...
... middle of paper ...
...t giving a person a treatment (whether is be the actual medication or a sugar pill) results in improvements being seen in the patient.
Though the research seems pretty sound in the ethical department, one could say that placebo controlled studies could be unethical in themselves. Accepting someone into a clinical trial gives him or her hope of improvement, but they may not ever get that chance. If they were placed in the control group, they would only receive a sugar pill that would have no health implications. Though part of many successful and effective experiments, it could be raised as an ethical issue.
Works Cited
Antonanzas, F., Rive, B., Badenas, J., Gomez-Lus, S., & Guilhaume, C. (2006). Cost-Effectiveness of Memantine in Community-Based Alzheimer's Disease Patients: An Adaptation in Spain. The European Journal of Health Economics, 7(2), 137-144.
The sixth leading cause of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease afflicts approximately 5.2 million persons age 65 and over (Alzheimer's Association, 2012). Rapid growth of the older population as the Baby Boomer generation ages will cause unprecedented increases in the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s. It is estimated that by 2025 the number of Wisconsin residents with Alzheimer’s age 65 and older will increase by 30% to a projected total of 127,000 (Alzheimer's Association, 2012).
Pah-Lavan, Z. (2006). Alzheimer's disease: the road to oblivion. Journal of Community Nursing, 20(5), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
First, when viewing DTC prescription drug ads, the public cannot understand the wording used to describe the drugs. Because of this, the producers of these ads are able to manipulate the drug’s effects to sway people into buying them. According to the article, 74% of surveyed doctors believe that the benefits expressed in prescription drug ads are embellished (paragraph 5). This inaccurate information causes patients to be misinformed as to the effects of the drug. Opposingly, 48% of doctors state that these ads inform and educate patients about DTC prescription drugs (paragraph 6). The percentages
The researchers of this paper will be researching the effects of Alzheimer’s on society as well as the individual. Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that causes mental deterioration. The researchers will discuss the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the individual, the effects of Alzheimer’s on the caregivers, and the effects of Alzheimer’s on society. Alzheimer’s disease is like many other diseases; early detection is best because deterioration of the brain cells can be delayed. Greutzner, H. Alzheimer’s disease has a tremendous effect on the lives of those who live with the disease.
In the United States, the basis for ethical protection for human research subjects in clinical research trials are outlined by the Belmont Report developed in the late 1970’s. This document, published by the Nation Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, highlights three important basic principles that are to be considered when any clinical trial will involve human research subjects. They are; respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. (Chadwick & Gunn, 2004)
With the high degree of variations in health care, patients can be under or over treated or even treated with the wrong treatment for their illness. These unwarranted care techniques can be categorized into three different situations. The first category of unwarranted care is the use of evidence or lack thereof, based on other medical care. The way to explain this category is that a care plan for a patient is proven effective without any proof as to why. The example given by Kongstvedt (2007) is the use of beta blockers post heart attack. Beta blockers prove to be effective in nearly one h...
Kondro, W. (2005). Inconclusive evidence puts Adderall back on the market. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 173(8), 858. doi:10.1503/cmaj.051145
Michaels, A. (2007, April 22). Drug Treatment for Dementia Sufferers. Article Directory. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Articlesbase database.
In Marcia Angell’s article, “The Ethics of Clinical Research in the Third World,” she strongly argues the use of clinical placebo-controlled trials done in developing countries are unethical if an effective treatment already exists. Angell believes studies that compare potential new treatment with a placebo controlled group is ineffective and unnecessary. All research studies should offer the best standard of care and give participants the most beneficial outcome and treatment possible. The main priority of a study is not the goals of the research itself, but the well-being of the participants. Angell uses many sources to defend her argument, such as WHO.
Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that becomes more prevalent with age. Discovered by German psychologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906, it is associated with a memory loss, speech impediment, and dementia. In Canada alone, 500,000 people suffer from this terrible disease and the number of cases is predicted to double by 2031[7]. Worldwide, nearly 44 million people are believed to be experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and every 68 seconds, someone in the United States of America develops Alzheimer’s [8]. Alzheimer’s disease is also the sixth leading cause of death in North America. Furthermore, it is the only leading cause of death that is still increasing in prevalence. Not only fatal, Alzheimer’s is also severely crippling for all the friends and family that are affected by the patient. The memory loss and dementia that is directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease can cause the patient to forget the identity of their loved ones. For the people that have known the patient for many years, this can be very devastating. The long and terrible journey from an able-bodied and functioning member of society to a barely self-sufficient person is not a pleasant one. Undoubtedly, Alzheimer’s disease needs to be cured not only for those suffering from the affliction, but for their loved ones who have to endure the fateful journey as well.
Some of the most abused prescription medications are those for mental issues such as, antidepressants, anxiety and sleep disorder. In Britain mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder, with almost 9% of the people meeting the criteria for the dia...
...hed and streamlined to allow for earlier diagnosis. In the case of tertiary prevention, the pharmaceutical companies have a huge financial incentive to create a cure for Alzheimer’s but that is not enough. More government funded research should be dedicated towards finding methods to delay or cure Alzheimer’s disease. The baby boomer generation has already entered their 60’s. As people live longer, as a result of new treatments for common killers such as heart disease and cancer, the chances that they will succumb to Alzheimer’s increases. Failing to find preventative or curative measures will be costly. On a personal level, Alzheimer’s disease slowly attacks cognitive function-the higher thought processes; individuals degenerate into infantile dependents. The cost of caring for increasing numbers of such dependents will be a burden on both family and society.
cause the sufferer to think that the problem is over with but it actually has not.
Dementia is a major neurocognitive disorder that interferes with the independence of the elderly by inhibiting memory and thinking skills. Fifty to eighty percent of dementia cases constitute of Alzheimer’s diagnoses; consequently Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and currently affects 5.2 million Americans. Most of these cases are patients above the age of 65 and by 2050; 13.8 million Americans in total will suffer Alzheimer’s due to aging of the general population, specifically the baby boomers. Total cost to society ranges from $157- $215 billion (Associated Press). Some would assume the cost of Alzheimer’s to be incurred by pharmaceuticals or medical costs, however RAND Corp suggests dementia cost to society is from care rather than treatment. Therefore, assistance provided by informal providers and directs caregivers incur a majority of the financial and social cost. Currently, the workforce does not have the capacity or training to care for these unique patients; the delivery system needs to address Alzheimer’s as the population ages and more and more fam...
Following the ethical codes and getting approval from the Institutional Review Board (if the study has human subjects) can really decrease the possibility of any harm being done to the participants. A perfect example of a research study that had lots of things unethical practices was the Tuskegee Syphilis study: