ethical issues Flashcards
what must all research be?
- ethically approved
what can ethical approval be?
- whole programme
- or individual study
what is the research ethics committee?
- group of people appointed to review research proposals to assess formally if the research is ethical
what should the research conform to?
- conform to recognised ethical standards
what should research respect?
- dignity
- rights
- safety
- well- being
(of people involved)
what does research enable?
- enables services e.g., NHS to improve the current and future health and well- being of people they serve
what does research always include and why?
- always involves a degree of risk
- researchers cannot predict the outcome with certainty
what may research include?
- additional burdens or intrusions exceeding those involved in normal care
what are the main ethical issues?
- voluntary participation
- informed consent
- anonymity, confidentiality
- potential for harm
- communication of results
what is voluntary participation?
- participants are free to opt in or out of the study at any point in time
when should you be especially mindful when implementing voluntary participation?
- when the relationship between the researcher and the participant is not equal
e.g., doctor- patient, lecturer- student, sports coach- player
what is informed consent?
- participants know the purpose, benefits, risks, and funding behind the study before they agree or decline to join
what relevant information is given in informed consent?
- what the study is about, including what they need to do
- risks and benefits of taking part
- how long the study will take
- supervisor’s contact information and institution’s ethics approval number
what should you let the potential participants know about their data in informed consent?
- let them know that their data will be kept confidential
- they are free to stop participating at any point for any reason
- they can withdraw info by contacting you or supervisor
what do you give potential participants after informed consent?
- give them time to think about it (at least 24 hours)
- give them the opportunity to ask questions
what is anonymity?
- you don’t know the identities of the participants
- personally identifiable data is not collected
what is data pseu- donymisation?
- alternative method where you replace identifiable information of participants with fake identifiers
what is the benefit of data pseu- donymisation?
- data can still be linked to participants but it’s harder to do so because you separate personal information from study data
how could you implement anonymity?
- each participant could be given a random three digit number so personally identifying information is separated form research data
what is confidentiality?
- you know who the participants are but keep that information hidden from everyone else
- you anonymise personally identifiable data so that it can’t be linked to other data by anyone else
how do you keep data confidential?
- take steps to safeguard it and prevent threats to data privacy
where do you store consent?
- store any signed consent forms in a locked file drawer
- encrypt all files with data
what is agreed before beginning the study?
- ask everyone to agree to keep what’s discussed confidential and to respect each other’s privacy
what else should you note regarding confidentiality?
- note that you cannot completely guarantee confidentiality or anonymity so pts are aware of risks involved
what should other researcher’s directly involved in the study follow?
- must follow your institution’s data protection protocols
what is potential for harm?
- physical, social, psychological, and all other types of harm are kept to an absolute minimum
what are the four types of harm?
- psychological
- social
- physical
- legal
what is psychological harm?
- sensitive questions or tasks may trigger negative emotions such as shame or anxiety
what is social harm?
- participation can involve social risk, public embarrassment or stigma
what is physical harm?
- pain or injury can result from the study procedures
what is legal harm?
- reporting sensitive data could lead to legal risks or a breach of privacy
if questions are sensitive what should you do with participants?
- inform participants about the sensitive nature and explain that their responses will be confidential
what is results communication?
- you ensure your work is free of plagiarism or research misconduct, and you accurately represent your results
