The study is exempt from informed consent by the MetroHealth Medical Center institutional
review board (IRB), because two standards of care are used and there is no increased clinical
risk to the patient due to the study. The researchers randomize either fentanyl or morphine
to be given to trauma patients and record how their pain scale is treated along with
observing for adverse events. They are looking to see if the hypothesized benefits of
fentanyl (which is much more expensive than morphine) actually exist.