Week 6: Discussion Question – Protection of Human Subject Participants in Nursing Research Discussion Prompt In Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt’s (2019) textbook Box 23.1 on page 682, select one of the Fifteen Ethical Principles of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Protection of Human Subject Participants in Nursing Research State the principle and describe the importance of the selected principle to ethical research. In addition, describe how a researcher would ensure that this principle would be protected for human subjects in a research study. Expectations Initial Post: • Length: A minimum of 250 words, not including references • Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA format from within the last 5 years
Protection of Human Subject Participants in Nursing Research
The ethical principle I have selected from the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights is “Benefit and harm.” The benefit and harm principle states that in any research study involving human subjects, the potential benefits should outweigh the potential harms (Rhoads, 2023). The principle also states that the risks to participants should be minimized as much as possible.
The benefit and harm principle is essential to ethical research because it ensures that researchers do not harm participants or exploit them for their benefit. The principle acknowledges that research can benefit society but must not be done at the expense of individual participants’ well-being. Thus, researchers must weigh the potential benefits of their study against the potential risks to ensure that the investigation is ethical.
To ensure that the Benefit and harm principle is protected in a research study, researchers must conduct a thorough risk assessment before the study begins (Fisa Adilla Nafsi, 2023). They must identify the potential harm to participants and minimize those risks. For example, if a study involves a new drug, researchers must ensure that it has been tested extensively in animals before being given to human participants. They must also monitor participants closely during the study to identify potential adverse effects and take appropriate action.
Researchers must also obtain informed consent from participants before participating in the study. By informed consent, participants are guaranteed to be aware of the potential dangers and benefits of the research and to have the freedom to leave at any moment if they feel uncomfortable. Also, the researcher must be open and truthful about the study’s potential downsides and advantages. The study’s potential risks and benefits must be fully disclosed to participants, and researchers are required to undertake a complete risk assessment and get their informed permission. These recommendations can help researchers conduct moral research that benefits society while safeguarding the welfare of their human subjects.
References
Fisa Adilla Nafsi, 180203257. (2023, January 18). Ethical Considerations In Conducting Research For Thesis: Students’ Beliefs And Practices. Repository.ar-Raniry.ac.id. https://repository.ar-raniry.ac.id/id/eprint/25699/
Rhoads, J. (2023). Identifying Ethical and Legal Issues in the Use of Patient Health Information for Research and Quality Improvement. International Journal of Intelligent Automation and Computing, 6(1), 17–30. https://research.tensorgate.org/index.php/IJIAC/article/view/6
