Ethical Considerations and IRB Approval- Ensuring Participant Protection in Research Studies

Ethical Considerations and IRB Approval- Ensuring Participant Protection in Research Studies

Psychologists should increase their scientific knowledge of understanding people’s behavior and use this knowledge to improve their patients’ conditions. Respect and protection of human rights are at the center of psychology. Psychologists help their patients and the public to make informed choices regarding human behavior. They wear many hats, such as therapists, researchers, administrators, and educators. The APA Code of Ethics provides a set of standards and principles to guide psychologists in their scientific and professional work (American Psychological Association (APA), 2017). The Code aims to protect individuals and groups that work with psychologists.

Institutional review boards (IRBs) aim to protect human participants in research by conducting an independent review of the ethical acceptability of the proposed research on human subjects (Parker, 2016). There are five general principles that a psychologist must adhere to to ensure that the proposed human research is approved by the IRB. The principles include beneficence and non-maleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, and respect for people’s rights and dignity.

The first principle of beneficence and non-maleficence ensures that the actions of psychologists benefit human subjects and do not harm them. Psychologists must safeguard the welfare and well-being of individuals taking part in their research (APA, 2017). They must guard them against any organizational, financial, or political factors that may go against this principle. Fidelity and integrity ensure that they establish a trustworthy relationship with the human subjects. They must uphold professional standards, accept responsibility for their actions, and manage any conflicts of interest that can lead to the exploitation of human subjects (APA, 2017).

Integrity ensures that they promote truthfulness, honesty, and accuracy during the research (APA, 2017). They must not use deceptive means to enroll study participants or lie to them about the benefits of the proposed study. Justice will ensure equity and fairness among all human subjects (APA, 2017). There should be equality in the research procedures. The final principle is respect for people’s rights and dignity. They must respect the dignity and worth of individuals. Psychologists should respect the right of individuals to privacy, self-determination, and confidentiality (APA, 2017).

The first way of protecting human subjects is ensuring informed consent. Researchers have a responsibility to make sure they have obtained informed consent from human subjects. The informed consent should be written, indicating the risks, benefits, objectives, voluntary participation, compensation, and confidentiality of records. Researchers should avoid invading the privacy of participants and maintain the confidentiality of data collected during the research. During the data collection, the participants’ names should not be used. Instead, unique identifiers should be used, ensuring that unauthorized individuals do not obtain private patient information. In addition to this, the participants should be given the option of withdrawing from the study at any time without providing a reason. Furthermore, patient confidentiality will be maintained throughout the study. Any private information obtained from the research will not be revealed to any third parties without the explicit approval of the research subjects.

References

American Psychological Association (APA). (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and Code of conduct. https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

Parker, G. E. (2016). A framework for navigating Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight in the complicated zone of research. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.844

Review the APA Code of Ethics. Consider the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB). In 350-500 words, present ethical considerations that must be made to ensure your study adheres to the guidelines presented and is approved by an IRB. How will you ensure that participants in your study are protected from harm?

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