Describe two historical events that have influenced the development of ethical codes and regulations for nursing and healthcare research.

Nuremberg’s trials have had an important impact on nursing ethics and research. These trials took place after World War II and Nazi doctors who had used unethical methods of human experimentation were brought to justice. The experiments involved torture, sterilisation, forced abortions and other atrocities. Nuremberg Trials revealed to scientists around the globe that ethics must be adhered to in research with humans. The Nuremberg Trials led to the creation of numerous ethical guidelines and regulations that were designed to protect participants in clinical research.

Another event that has influenced the development of ethical codes and regulations for nursing and healthcare research is known as “the Tuskegee syphilis study”. The Tuskegee syphilis study was started in 1932, when 600 African American men who had syphilis without consent were recruited to take part in an experiment that aimed to see how untreated disease would develop over time. These men were not told what they were being tested for and continued to receive no treatment after the penicillin cure became available several years later. In response to this scandalous US experiment, several ethics guidelines were established in relation to informed consent and protection against harm when conducting research, as well as respecting autonomy in clinical trials.