ANSWER
Research Ethical Standards: Reflection
Important Lessons from the Interactive Courses
The interactive lectures in The study Clinic movie helped me to appreciate the need of ethical values in safeguarding study participants’ rights and well-being. The underlined teachings are:
To make an autonomous decision, participants must get clear, understandable information on the study including possible hazards and rewards.
Researchers must make sure participants are chosen equitably and not depending just on convenience or sensitivity, therefore avoiding the exploitation of weaker communities.
Ethical research ensures that risks are commensurate with the value of the study by means of a risk-benefit analysis, therefore minimising risks and optimising benefits.
Participant data has to be kept under protection to stop violations of privacy.
Review and approval of research is greatly aided by institutional review boards (IRBs), therefore guaranteeing respect to ethical norms.
Are ethics in research either clear-cut or grey areas?
Although ethical ideas offer a clear framework—e.g., autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice—their application might contain grey areas:
Ethical standards could differ between cultures, especially with relation to informed permission or communal decision-making.
Defining “Minimal Risk”: Depending on the context of the study and participant vulnerabilities, one can find minimal risk subjective.
Particularly in high-stakes research, balancing scientific innovation with participant welfare might provide moral conundrums.
These grey areas draw attention to the requirement of critical thinking, consulting IRBs, and continuous ethical alertness.
Promoting Moral Research
To guarantee ethical behaviour in research, I will:
Get informed consent by giving participants thorough, easily available knowledge on the study and its ramifications.
follow the IRB Guidelines: Send thorough protocols for IRB review, then apply their suggestions.
Using anonymizing methods and safe data storage will help to safeguard participant information.
Constant observation of the research guarantees adherence to ethical norms and helps to quickly handle unanticipated problems.
Respect Cultural Sensitivities: Maintaining ethical integrity, modify policies and practices to fit the cultural settings of the participants.
Prospectual Difficulties
Particularly in varied language or educational settings, participants could find it difficult to completely grasp complicated study material or hazards.
Finding a reasonable degree of risk can be difficult, particularly in creative or experimental study.
While studies would most help these groups, more care is needed to prevent coercion or exploitation.
Unexpected ethical issues—such as data breaches or new challenges—may develop throughout the research and need for quick and deliberate solutions.
Following accepted ethical guidelines and tackling these issues early on will help me to make sure my studies maintains the best standards of ethical behaviour.
Allusions
Research Integrity Office, (n.d.). The Video about the Research Clinic. Department of Health and Human Services United States Taken from https://ori.hhs.gov/TheResearchClinicVideo
QUESTION
Watch the video. Conducting research with strong ethical principles is a critical component of being an effective nurse researcher. What did you learn from participating in the interactive lessons on ethical principles in research? Are ethics in research clear cut, or do you think there are some gray areas? Explain your answer. How will you ensure that your research is conducted in an ethical manner? What potential challenges might you face?
https://ori.hhs.gov/TheResearchClinicVideo/