TOPIC:

ETHICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH

[@Lusaka Apex Medical University]

January 30, 2024 Nursing Research (Ethical Issues) 1

Learning objectives:

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Define terms ethical related terms
2. Outline ethical implications at every stage of the
research process
3. Describe research ethical principles

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Introduction
 There are ethical implications at every stage of the
research process, including the choice of topic to
research, selection of the design & the publication of
findings. Same can be said concerning decision to
research or not to research.
 Research process constitutes all decisions & actions
taken by the researcher
 Research as long as it is conducted on human beings
will have many implications, hence requiring that you
are vigilant to ensure participants’ rights & safety
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What ethics means
 Relates to right and wrong conduct
 Deals with standards that govern the conduct of a
person, especially a member of a profession
 Any conducted study that involves human
subjects, either directly or indirectly demands
that certain ethical considerations be fulfilled
 Without this, legal litigations are unavoidable

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Ethics..
 Permission from relevant authority should be sought
before embarking on any research & inviting
participants to participate in your research
 Local ethics committees exist for the purpose of
examining ethical implications of your study & granting
permission when appropriate.
 Requirement now to submit research proposal abstracts
 Subjects in the research have a right to know the
purpose of the study, & should never be forced to
participate in any study

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ETHICAL PRINCIPLES IN RESEARCH

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Ethical principles in research..
Here are critical ethical principles that you
can use to guard your
participants/respondents/clients from harm:

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Ethical principles in research..

1. Principle of beneficence:
 Research project should benefit the participating
individual & society in general [by contributing to the
pool of human knowledge]
= access to a new treatment not yet available to
others
= Likelihood of participants receiving more
attention & human contact by virtue of them
participating in a study

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Ethical principles in research..

2. Principle of non-maleficence:
 Research project should not cause any harm to
participants
 Potential physical harm could be obvious, but
psychological effects may not be as transparent

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Ethical principles in research..
3. Principle of fidelity:
 Concerned with building of trust between researchers &
participants
 Researcher needs to inform respondent of any apparent risk
in the course of the study [respondent deserves all the right
to withdraw from the study at any time in any time & cannot
be coerced to continue]
 Benefits including risks (if any) foreseen or unforeseen that
may arise from the study must be explained to the
respondents before commencement.

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Ethical principles in research..
4. Principle of justice:
 As researcher, always ensure that your participants
are fairly treated
 Power relations should not be tilted in your favour
 Involves being fair to participants [not giving
preferential treatment to some & depriving others of
care & attention they deserve]
 Participants’ needs come before objectives of your
study

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Ethical principles in research..

5. Principle of veracity:
 Building trust between yourself [researcher] entails
that you must tell the truth, even if at expense of
participants shunning or withdrawing from your study.
 Its some form of deception by you being “economical
with the truth”

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Ethical principles in research..
6. Principle of confidentiality:
 Ensure anonymity of respondent
 Name of respondent not necessary
 Respondent identifiable only by some affixed identity number
 Consent to participate does not provide explicit rights for you to
expose respondents’ medical records as well
 Take care NOT TO inadvertently reveal information that
participant wishes to remain confidential without their
permission [you could be sued for this]
 Don’t take advantage of participants’ show of trust in you

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 OTHER UNETHICAL BREACHES

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Unethical breaches in research..
7. Plagiarism
 Practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas &
passing them off as though it was your own
 Very unethical if caught up in this practice

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Unethical breaches in research..
8. Fabrication of data [cooking facts]
It is professional impropriety as researcher to be
involved in such:
 Deliberately making false or improbable account
 Writing in a fictional form
 Deliberate act of deviating from the truth

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Unethical breaches in research..
9. Informed consent
 Process by which you ensure potential participants
understand potential risks & benefits of participating in a
study
 Informed about their rights not to participate & in a manner free
from coercion
 It is researchers’ responsibility to seek informed consent
 Illegal to use your position to recruit participants unfairly
[especially captive & vulnerable ones]
 Participants must understand information given & should not
be under pressure to participate [should never withhold
information that may lead to a refusal to participate]
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 TAKE HOME MESSAGE

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The ethical principles discussed by this far can be
synthesised into four rights of participants
considering participation in research:
1. Right not to be harmed
2. Right of full disclosure
3. Right of self-determination [respondents’ right
to decide to take part or to withdraw at any
time]
4. Right of privacy, anonymity & confidentiality
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 Thank you

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