Comparar métodos

	Evaluación de Riesgos y Beneficios en Protocolos de Investigación	Investigación con Poblaciones Vulnerables
Campo	Ética de la investigación	Ética de la investigación
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Año de origen	1979	1979
Autor original	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; International research ethics community	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; World Health Organization; International research ethics community
Tipo	Framework	Guideline
Fuente seminal	The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research.	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Protection of Human Subjects. Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Part 46, Subparts B, C, D.
Alias	risk-benefit analysis, risk-benefit calculation, risk-benefit justification, harm-benefit ratio	vulnerable subjects, special populations, vulnerable groups, additional protections
Relacionados	5	5
Resumen	A risk-benefit assessment is a systematic evaluation of the potential harms and benefits of a proposed research study, documented in ethics committee applications. The Belmont Report (1979) established the principle of beneficence—maximizing benefits while minimizing harm—as a cornerstone of research ethics. Regulatory frameworks (45 CFR 46.111 in the U.S., equivalent in other jurisdictions) require ethics committees to determine that risks are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits before approving research. This assessment is not a simple calculation (risks + benefits) but a qualitative judgment incorporating probability, magnitude, and distribution of harms and benefits.	Vulnerable populations are groups with limited capacity to protect themselves due to age, cognitive ability, institutional dependency, or social circumstances. Regulatory frameworks in the U.S. (45 CFR 46 Subparts B, C, D) and internationally identify specific vulnerable populations—children, prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals—and mandate additional ethical protections beyond standard informed consent. These protections include obtaining informed consent from surrogate decision-makers (parents, guardians), additional assurances of minimal risk, and enhanced monitoring for safety. Research ethics committees apply heightened scrutiny to studies involving vulnerable populations and may deny approval if special protections are inadequate.