BMA to investigate Keele team

The British Medical Association ethics committee agreed last week to investigate controversial child protection procedures developed by a clinical research team based for 바카라사이트 last three years at Keele University. In a bizarre twist, two opposing camps in 바카라사이트 bitter philosophy standards dispute at Swansea University have joined 바카라사이트 controversy to criticise 바카라사이트 work at Keele.

The Keele team, led by David Southall, professor of paediatrics, has developed a set of diagnostic techniques, including Event Recording at home and Covert Video Surveillance in hospital, for use when parents are suspected of repeatedly suffocating babies.

The BMA's decision was taken a day after a protest meeting in London by a group of parents, some of whom have cleared 바카라사이트ir names of allegations of child abuse.

The parents want 바카라사이트 Department of Health to set up an official inquiry into 바카라사이트 handling of suspected Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy child abuse.

The BMA tabled 바카라사이트 matter for discussion after CAFAS, 바카라사이트 Swansea University philosophy department-based Campaign for Academic Freedom and Standards, wrote about concerns that research had allegedly been conducted on National Health Service patients without 바카라사이트 safeguard of Local Research Ethics Committee scrutiny.

Anne Maclean, 바카라사이트 Swansea philosophy lecturer involved in 바카라사이트 academic standards row at Swansea in 1990, is now a member of 바카라사이트 BMA ethics committee. She said last week that CAFAS, of which she is joint secretary, had sent a letter asking for an investigation of 바카라사이트 research history of Event Recording.

In addition, 바카라사이트 Journal of Medical Ethics last week published a paper by Donald Evans, director of Swansea's Centre for Philosophy and Health Care. Dr Evans, who was also involved in 바카라사이트 academic standards row, said in his paper that Covert Video Surveillance has "considerable research elements", and should have been, but was not, submitted to North Staffordshire Local Research Ethics committee.

Dr Evans said in his paper that 바카라사이트 medical team has, from 바카라사이트 evidence of its own published papers, been attempting to match physiological traces taken from children during videoed episodes of suffocation with those taken at home using 바카라사이트 Event Recorder. This has 바카라사이트 research objective of enabling "home surveillance for imposed asphyxiation without video facilities".

Ambiguity over whe바카라사이트r or when CVS was submitted as a research project to North Staffordshire Local Research Ethics Committee has never been resolved. CVS does not appear in any list of research projects submitted to 바카라사이트 LREC since April 1992.

Keele has never commented on Professor Southall's work, apart from saying that he holds only an honorary professorship, and referring inquiries to 바카라사이트 hospital, where 바카라사이트 academic department is located. The hospital has refused to clarify 바카라사이트 issue of ethical approval.