Ethics of Nursing Research
Conducting quality research requires the researcher to perform within both ethical and legal guidelines. “Ethics is the study of right and wrong” (Houser, J., 2012, pg.50). Ethics provide the avenue for decision making and are guided by the researcher’s integrity. Legal guidelines provide direction to the researcher by specifying what is required by law to conduct research. As a nurse researcher, it is an ethical duty to advocate for patients when incompetent, unethical or illegal practices are observed.
There are three basic principles to consider when evaluating the ethics of a study: 1) respect for persons, 2) beneficence, and 3) justice (Houser, J., 2012, pg. 54-56). To apply these principles in research is detrimental to the quality and validity of the study. Respect for person involves allowing the patient to make his/her own decisions. In order to accomplish this, the researcher must b e certain that the participant is capable of making a cognitive decision. Beneficence is accomplished through assurance that no harm will come to the participant for voluntary participation in the study. Beneficence is determined through assessment of the risks and benefits of the study design. Justice is accomplished when participant rights to fair treatment are honored. Justice includes subject selection. When the researcher has applied the basic principle of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice to determine if the study meets ethical criteria, the next step is to obtain informed consent.
Informed consent is “a process of information exchange in which participants are provided understandable information needed to make a participation decision, full disclosure of the risk and...
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...data collection, subject selection process and competency issues are resolved. I would report all concerns to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to assure that the patients are protected and that breaches of ethical or legal nature are resolved. Any further research would be discontinued until all concerns are appropriately managed. Once concerns are resolved, research design would be modified, informed consents would be re-obtained and study would continue as planned.
Works Cited
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