Is the statement 'Minimal risk implies harms no greater than daily life' true?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not defined
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (A)

The concept here is how minimal risk is defined in ethics review. Minimal risk means that the potential harms of participating in the research are no greater than the harms ordinary people encounter in daily life or during routine physical or psychological examinations or tests. That comparator to daily life experiences is why the statement is true: it uses everyday experiences as the baseline for what counts as “minimal.”

Remember that this doesn’t mean there is zero risk. It means the level of risk is not greater than what people routinely face in ordinary activities or in standard health assessments. If a study could lead to harms that exceed that everyday baseline, it would not be considered minimal risk and would require more stringent review or additional protections.