Research Ethics and Principles Quiz

Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research

• Qualitative research in Qatar necessitates adherence to ethical principles, particularly concerning vulnerable populations.
• Specific policies governing ethical conduct of qualitative research in Qatar should be reviewed.
• Ethical dilemmas and conflicts inherent in qualitative research need exploration.

Required Reading

• Green and Thorogood (2018) "Qualitative Methods for Health Research" (Chapter 4, pp. 83-106, 112; Chapter 1, pp. 3-28) is the required reading.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Understanding the principles guiding ethical conduct in qualitative research in Qatar, including considerations for vulnerable populations.
• Familiarity with ethical policies specific to qualitative research in Qatar.
• Exploring ethical dilemmas and conflicts pertinent to qualitative research.

Definition of Ethics

• Ethics is the disciplined study of morality, focusing on the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad.

Ethical Dilemmas and Conflicts

• Managing risks related to the research, including bias.
• Respecting diverse participant perspectives.
• Conducting research in resource-limited settings, accounting for potential conflicts of interest or lack of funding.
• Ethical dilemmas arise when study participant rights conflict with study requirements. Examples include: -Testing a treatment that prolongs life for patients with terminal dementia. -Testing low carb diets for improving cancer patient responses to chemotherapy.

Historical Background

• Key historical events raise ethical concerns in research:
  • Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932)
  • Nazi medical experiments
  • U.S. radiation experiments
  • Experiments on children (1969) and pregnant women (1994)
• These examples underscore the importance of ethical oversight in research.

Codes of Ethics

• Key codes and reports relevant to research ethics:
  • Nuremberg Code (response to Nazi atrocities)
  • Belmont Report (1979)
  • Declaration of Helsinki (1964)
  • ANA Ethical Guidelines (1995)
  • CNA Ethical Research Guidelines
• These guidelines establish standards for ethical research practice.

What are Ethical Guidelines?

• Good research practice considers professional standards, legal and statutory requirements, ethical principles, and the responsibilities of researchers.
• Research often involves tensions that aren't easily solvable by reference to codes of practice, particularly in health sciences studies where conflicting responsibilities to stakeholders exist.
• Theoretical approaches to research may differ in their understanding of researcher responsibilities.

Values in Research

• Science is rooted in social values, questioning if researchers have an obligation to do good science.
• The primary responsibility of researchers is to knowledge creation and perhaps their contribution to future generations of researchers.
• The secondary responsibility concerns the implications of research practices in society.

Differing Approaches to Ethical Values

• Weaker liberal view: Ethical values are relative and dependent on researcher professionalism; ethical standards vary across cultures.
• Liberal view: Research decisions are the researcher's autonomy based on conscience. Researchers should decide on topics, methodologies, and dissemination of findings.
• Critical view: Research should contribute to social justice and emancipation by examining existing social hierarchies.

Ethical Review

• Ethical practice varies across places, times, and disciplines.
• Question: Can criteria be developed that guarantee ethical research?

Context Matters

• Interpretations of ethical standards should consider legal frameworks, disciplinary codes of practice, culture, gender, ethnicity, geography, and formal ethical reviews, such as IRB or REB processes.

Ethical Principles

• The Belmont Report (1979) outlines principles for research:
  • Beneficence (do no harm)
  • Respect for human dignity
  • Justice

Health Care Ethics

• Beauchamp and Childress (2012) list four principles for healthcare ethics:
  • Autonomy
  • Beneficence
  • Nonmaleficence
  • Justice

Beneficence

• Benefit participants maximize benefits and minimize harm.
• Participants should not be placed at a disadvantage.
• Research relationships must not be exploited.

Principle of Respect for Human Dignity

• Right to self-determination. Participants choose whether to participate and how.
• Right to full disclosure. Participants must know about the study's details, risks, and benefits.

Principle of Justice

• Right to fair treatment and equitable distribution of research benefits and burdens.
• Right to privacy and confidentiality (anonymity). Ensuring research isn't intrusive and privacy is maintained.

Procedures for Protecting Study Participants

• Risk-benefit assessments
• Informed consent procedures
• Debriefings and referrals
• Treatment of vulnerable groups
• External reviews and the protection of human rights.

Informed Consent

• Informed consent reflects research subjects being volunteers, who are not coerced, and who have sufficient information about the research to make a decision.
• Subjects should have adequate information about the research. Informed consent documents record agreement to participate and can be used in legal cases, for example.
• Subjects should comprehend the information; they should have the freedom to make their informed choice and consent.

Consent Form

• Informed consent documents that participants have enough information about a study
• That they understand the information
• That they have the power to choose to participate

Confidentiality Procedures

• Anonymity: Preventing any link between participants and their data.
• Confidentiality (absence of anonymity): Taking steps in research to prevent breach of confidentiality.
• Certificate of Confidentiality: Used to protect the confidentiality of research, such as from authorities

Debriefings and Referrals

• Debriefing sessions after research participation allow participants to ask questions about the study or share concerns.
• Researchers can also share results with participants or offer referrals to appropriate services, such as health, social, or psychological services.

Treatment of Vulnerable Groups

• Vulnerable subjects (children, cognitively impaired individuals, pregnant women, etc) require specific protections.
• Researchers must prioritize participant safety and well-being, especially when dealing with vulnerable groups.

Groups Considered Vulnerable

• Vulnerable groups include children
• Mentally or emotionally disabled people
• Severely ill or physically disabled people
• Terminally ill people
• Institutionalized people
• Pregnant women

External Review and Protection of Human Rights

• Ethical aspects of any research using human subjects must be reviewed by institutional review boards (IRBs) or similar committees to comply with standards.
• IRBs evaluate research for appropriate inclusion criteria, considerations for participant safety, risk-benefit assessments, and proper informed consent procedures to ensure protection of human rights.

What is IRB Review Board

• Any research involving human subjects must be reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
• Ensuring these procedures cover the welfare and rights of participants
• Avoidance of unnecessary risks to research participants
• Importance outweighing the necessity of the research

Example Guidelines for Ethical Reviews in Qatar

• Specific example guidelines for ethical reviews in Qatar can be used when performing a study.

Ethics in Interviews

• Qualitative research affecting interview participants, like ethical consideration for emotional distress or trauma due to interview questions.

Ethics in Observation

• Qualitative research on ethical considerations affecting how participants are recognized in observational studies when participant informed consent may present challenges.

Responsibilities to Yourself and Co-Workers

• Researchers should consider potential risks to themselves and their coworkers.

Nuremberg, Helsinki, and Belmont Reports

• Overviewing ethical principles concerning voluntary participation, informed consent, protection of vulnerable persons, and minimizing risks to participants.

Case Study Examples:

• Case study 1, 2, and 3 demonstrate practical application of ethical considerations in research.
• Case studies present specific details, and prompt discussions on ethical procedures applied to recruitment and other issues in research studies.

Group Activity: Guidelines for Critiquing the Ethical Aspects of a Study

• Instructions for reviewing and critiquing ethical aspects in research that considers guidelines and rubrics
• Guidelines should be used in considering ethical elements in research for any study, and participants' perspectives need attention

Questions

• Question 1 & 2: True or false statements about Nuremberg Code and principle of justice.
• Question 3: Children require special protection in research?
• Question 4: Freedom from harm, privacy and informed consent?