An ethics committee for medical research in Greenland: history and challenges.

Abstract

Ethical appraisal of medical protocols for research is now well accepted, and needed when research may carry side effects and risks that may be difficult to understand for the people invited to take part in research. We argue that time has come for Greenland to establish a formal medical research ethics committee with a legal basis. With proper use of modern means of communication it should be possible to run a committee at a reasonable cost. We believe that such a committee should closely follow international standards. One urgent matter to get under a formal set of rules is to set proper standards for storage of biological samples taken from people in Greenland.