Key principles of ethical research Flashcards
what are the five key principles
respect beneficence non-maleficence justice fidelity
beneficence
research must ‘do good’. Benefits can be direct or indirect
direct benefit
immediate benefit for the participants
indirect benefit
benefit society by changing policy, practice and attitudes, or increasing knowledge and understanding
respect
research must respect the autonomy of people, and ensure that people with diminished autonomy are protected.
-respect religious belief and practice- how this may affect their choice to participate
autonomy
people can make their own decisions of it and how they take part in research
Respect for people: in practice
- informed consent
- vulnerable populations- supported and protected through research
- privacy, anonymity and confidentiality- when you share findings
justice
research should not exploit participants or perpetuate problematic relationships. Need to think critically at when ebenfits from research and who bears the risk
justice: in practice
- ensure that a diverse range of participants are included
- avoid targeting certain groups e.g. Tuskegee
- avoid deception: no bullying or offering incentives
- share findings with participants and the wider community
- patient and public involvement
target groups to avoid
- if they are illiterate
- if they cant read
- if they cant understand
- if they cant access care any other way
- if they cant afford healthcare
there is a real push to
share data for secondary research- so work doesn’t need to be repeated
patient and public involvement is importnant
to make sure that the research is actually useful- used at every stage of research
shift in research language e.g.
people are not called subject anymore- participants. Research is done with real people, in partnership
Non-maleficence
research must not do harm. Harm can be direct or indirect
direct harm
immediate risk to participant
indirect harm
risk to society by changing policy, practice and attitudes, or promoting misinformation
example of indirect harm within non-maleficence
Wakefield claimed there was a link between autism and the MMR vaccine- caused a decrease in the % vaccinated, though that some conditions could be eradicated if it wasn’t for him .
how can non-maleficence be insured
provide participants and ethics committee with fun info about risk and benefits
privacy: respect
-research shouldn’t unnecessarily intrude into participants private lives e.g. not asking irrelevant questions
anonymity: respect
participants identities should not be revealed in the publication and dissemination of results or the sharing of data
example of where anonymity was not kept in research
Phones Gage- aggregate data- don’t focus on one person
confidentiality : respect
participants inf should only be shared to the extent necessary for the research or as required by legal/ethical obligations
privacy, anonymity , confidentiality in relation to respect : in practice
- only measure what is necessary
- de-identified data
- pseudonyms
- reporting aggregate data without talking about participants
- reporting of pertinent quotes (rather than whole transcripts)
vulnerable populations: respect
- people living in institutions (care home, prison etc)
- people who lack the capacity to consent
- marginalised/disadvantaged stigmatised groups, ethnic minorities
- people living in dangerous environments
- people engaging in high risk behaviour e.g. prostitution
vulnerable groups should be
supported to participate in research, but also be protected from abuse and eploitation
research with vulnerable groups is only justified if:
1) the research is addressing a need or priority for this group e.g. sickle cell mainly affects black people
2) the research cannot be conducted with a non-vulnerable group e.g. child health, impact of assault in prisons
3) the group will benefit fro the results in the research