Major ethical issues related to conducting research include informed consent, respect for privacy, respect for anonymity and confidentiality, and beneficence. Informed consent is a leading ethical issue. Informed consent should include its purpose, selection of participants, the procedures to be followed, expected benefits, and potential harm (West, 2020). A breach of privacy occurs in research when a participant’s private information is shared with third parties without their knowledge or consent (West, 2020). Besides, an invasion of privacy can occur when researchers study specific populations without their knowledge or identifying themselves.
Anonymity is respected when the participant’s identity cannot be associated with responses. If the researcher cannot guarantee anonymity, they have to deal with confidentiality, which involves managing the participant’s private information to protect their identity(West, 2020). However, an ethical dilemma can arise when the researcher breaks confidentiality due to the moral obligation to protect society. Beneficence entails the professional obligation to conduct effective and substantial research to better serve and promote individuals’ welfare (West, 2020). Beneficence correlates to research, while nonmaleficence concerns the potential risks of participating in the research. The researcher must take into account the possible consequences and balance the research’s risks with proportionate benefits.
The APRN working with persons participating in research should act as an advocate for the research participants. APRNs are in the best position to advocate for research subjects because they are well-versed about participants’ rights and the protections for human participants in clinical research (Nsiah et al., 2019). They have the role of helping participants understand the study and what they are being asked to do in the research. The APRN ensures that subjects have the adequate needed to make informed decisions before the research commences and throughout its duration (Nsiah et al., 2019). Besides, the APRN ensures that the subjects are aware of their right to withdraw from the study. Furthermore, the APRN should advocate for the research itself. Clinical research is essential for improving health care and understanding health (Nsiah et al., 2019). Thus, the APRN has a role in ensuring that the research will benefit the health of the patients.
References
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. (2019). Registered Nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing open, 6(3), 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307
West, E. (2020). Ethics and integrity in nursing research. Handbook of research ethics and scientific integrity, 1051-1069.
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