Ethical Research Principles - Paper Example

Introduction

This paper will discuss the principles of ethical conduct in research as outlined in the Belmont Report, a critical document that ethically protects the human research subjects, and the roles of both the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and RN in protecting human subjects in research (Miracle, 2016). The associated procedures for protecting individuals will also be discussed. Some of the frequently asked questions about the protection of human subjects are concerned and will also be proposed.

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The Role of the Institutional Review Board

The primary purpose of the IRB is ensuring that the investigators do adhere to research protocols and sufficiently demonstrate that the trial is of importance and necessary and that the risk-benefit ratio acceptable by reviewing of critical documents that guarantee the protection of participants' wellbeing and rights per the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) guidelines.

Informed Consent

This requires respondents to choose what shall or shall not transpire to them, based on meeting the set ethics standards for research projects. The relay of information, emphasis on comprehension, and the willingness of voluntariness to participate in the research process are critical elements in ethically obtaining informed consent (Manti & Licari, 2018).

Identification

Identification of vulnerable and at-risk participants helps determine if the risks presented to the participants are justifiable and critically analyze if the proposed research is suitably designed. The risk-benefit ratio assessment is critical in ensuring that the principle of beneficence is taken into consideration.

This section ensures that subjects’ identity has not been disclosed anyhow for confidentiality issues. Every proposed research must meet the privacy and confidentiality threshold for it to be undertaken (Powell et al., 2016). This ensures conformity to the Belmont Report specifications and guidelines of an ethically justified research proposal and the principle of respect to subjects.

Fair Treatment of Research Participants

The research subjects are human, and therefore utmost fairness and justice ought to be accorded to them. There should not be any form of discrimination, coercion, or even intimidation whatsoever (Sandu & Frunza, 2019). Any research proposal should conform to this requirement as set out in the Belmont Report.

Conclusion

The nurses’ role is to advocate for research subjects throughout the research process (Clark-Kazak, 2017). They have to ensure the subjects have adequate knowledge and information needed to understand the research proposal before they start participating in the research process. They have to ensure the subjects’ rights are not violated and no harm or risk to harm them.

References

Clark-Kazak, C. (2017). Ethical considerations: Research with people in situations of forced migration. Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees/Refuge: 33(2), 11-17.
https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/refuge/1900-v1-n1-refuge03391/1043059ar/abstract/.

Manti, S., & Licari, A. (2018). How to obtain informed consent for research. Breathe, 14(2), 145-152. https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/14/2/145.short.

Miracle, V. (2016). The Belmont Report: The triple crown of research ethics. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 35(4), 223-228. https://journals.lww.com/dccnjournal/Fulltext/2016/07000/The_Belmont_Report__The_Triple_Crown_of_Research.8.aspx.

Powell, M., Graham, A., Truscott, J., & Vicars, M. (2016). Ethical research involving children: facilitating reflexive engagement. Qualitative Research Journal.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QRJ-07-2015-0056/full/html.

Sandu, A., & Frunza, A. (2019). Informed consent in research involving human subjects. In Ethics in Research Practice and Innovation (pp. 171-191). IGI Global.
https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/informed-consent-in-research-involving-human-subjects/216666.