Are human subject volunteers still players in aeromedical research as we enter the 21st century?
The U.S. Air Force has enjoyed the luxury of having dedicated human volunteer subjects for sustained and impact acceleration research for over 50 yr. However, with today's world economy and budgetary cutbacks, this may no longer be a viable option. The onslaught of advanced medical technology, combined with an increasing performance envelope for aircraft and their ejection systems, have created an environment where the validity of research data and the ethics of human-use research are being challenged. Now is an opportune time to reevaluate the way human-use aeromedical research is conducted. The validity of using nonpilots in lieu of pilots in aeromedical research is discussed in light of the following: a) the increased emphasis on performance metrics within sustained acceleration; b) the matching of human subjects (nonpilots) to pilots in the appropriate attributes to ensure validity of data; c) degree of medical screening required given the ethics of human-use research and concerns of pilots; and d) the challenge of evaluating the "value added" of new technology for medical screening. It is concluded that volunteer panels should be maintained with nonpilots matched with pilots physically and psychologically such that operational performance characteristics are similar. Medical screening should be similar so that research data from subjects can be applied to the target population (pilots). Longitudinal data collection (e.g., spinal X-rays) on pilots would also be of great value as a basis for studying the occupational hazards of flying.
Popper
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74th Medical Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Beavercreek, OH 45430, USA.
Morris
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D000054:Acceleration; D000337:Aerospace Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005544:Forecasting; D006805:Human Experimentation; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D018579:Patient Selection; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*