Lecture 22: Introduction to Research Ethics Flashcards
Ethics is about ____ and _____
values
norms
What are values and norms?
Values are what we care about and norms are ideas about how we should live
What are three basic ethical considerations in health research?
- what is the value of health research?
- what are the dangers of health research?
- What can we do to make research ethically okay?
What is the value of health research?
it enables better healthcare ie. we do it to help people
What are the dangers of health research?
- The research processes can be _________. The _______ may not justify the _______
- those studied or observed in research may be __________
- the ________ of research may not be fairly ________
- harmful, ends, means
- vulnerable
- benefits, distributed
What six things can we do to make research ethically okay?
- assess the benefits and risks and ensure the ratio is acceptable
- be aware of the potential vulnerabilities of participants
- avoid or manage conflicts of interest
- obtain informed consent from participants
- consider how the benefits and burdens of the research should be shared across society
- introduce regulations an process to ensure these all happen
What is beneficence? How does this relate to research?
The obligations that we have to “benefit” others. In research is the obligation to ensure that the research is generating something of value that justifies the cost
What is non-maleficence? How does this relate to research?
The obligation that we have not to harm others without a justifying reason. In research this means being aware of the various potential harms to participants and others, and either taking steps to avoid these or ensuring that the benefits are sufficient to justify the harms
Typically, research ethics committees require applicants to show what four things?
- an ______ for the various _____ or ______ to participants including _____, ______, ______ _____, and any ________ _____
- strategies to address these _____ or _______
- an awareness for the potential ______ ______ or ________, including (in _____), the implications for _________
- evidence of the scientific validity of the _________
- an awareness of the various costs or harms to participants, including time, resources, coercive factors, and any opportunity costs
- strategies to address these harms or costs
- an awareness of potential cultural sensitivities or interests, including (in NZ), the implications for Maori
- evidence of the scientific validity of the research
Define clinical equipoise
The requirement that researchers only provide an experimental treatment if the evidence for the experimental treatment is equal to that available for the standard treatment. The idea is that the participant should not suffer any substantial disadvantage from being in the study
What is a vulnerable person?
Any person who is more at risk of exploitation, because of physical or social disadvantages
Give 8 examples of potential vulnerable people
- poorer people
- those subject to racial or religious discrimination
- people who are less educated
- those suffering cognitive impairments
- older people
- prisoners
- children
- people who are ill
What is a conflict is interest?
A situation where a person holds two or more potentially incompatible interests. These are of concern in research where the researcher(s) have interests that might compromise the values discussed
What four ways can conflicts of interest arise?
- professionally
- academically
- financially
- politically
What 5 ways can conflicts of interest be managed?
- peer review
- blinding
- open access to data
- auditing
- using independent people to recruit participants
