Healthcare Research Methods

Healthcare Research Methods

When any researcher involves human participants in their study, there are several obligations to protect human welfare and treat them fairly. They should always put human being’s interests at the front. The researchers should respect the persons involved in the study and should recognize their dignity at all times. People whose autonomy is diminished, like prisoners, must be offered special protection. They should minimize the risk of harm to the persons as they maximize the benefits from their research (Alderson & Morrow, 2020). All the burdens and benefits from the study have to be equally distributed.  No one should coerce any person to participate in research. It should inform an individual willing to participate in research about the study. In research, ethical principles help in solving the conflict of interest at all levels. The four primary and most fundamental ethical principles in research are non-maleficence, justice, beneficence, and autonomy.

Before a researcher conducts a study, there are things they need to do. The first and most challenging step is identifying and developing a topic for the study. It is the most vital step of any study. Before earnestly beginning the research, they should have a preliminary search to determine if there is sufficient information for their needs. It sets the context of the study. The researcher needs to locate materials on the topic study after the direction of their research is clear (Xiao & Watson, 2019). After finding the information, they have to evaluate its quality and if it is authorized. The information has to be truthful, reliable, and credible. Making notes on paper from the valuable information collected and documenting all the consulted sources is essential. They have to organize the collected data from a rough draft to a clear and step-by-step organized idea. They should revise the final draft as many times as possible to create an excellent final copy with no plagiarism. All the sources used should be documented or cited well.

Before any study, the participants should be informed about the investigation being conducted, the benefits of the research, and the risks they may face. Though reports may differ from one researcher to another depending on their experience, training, and creativity, general principles ensure that the research report is good.  It should be selective and comprehensive, ultimately including only the necessary information by ensuring that the vital points are communicated. The report has to be carefully prepared, free of errors or personal bias (Battisti et al., 2015). They should schedule Research reports within the budget set with simplicity in understanding. It has to be attractive, well-formatted, and reliable. Vulnerable groups in society can be harmed by unethical conduct through coercion into participating in risky research. Some procedures can be done to them without their consent and respect as human beings.

The Nuremberg code describes ways to prevent abuse of human subjects in research. It clearly states that research participation by any individual should be voluntary, and he/she can withdraw if they wish. Research must avoid any unnecessary suffering, and disabling or death of the participants should never be a consequence. The benefits must outweigh the risks of the study. The research should be appropriately conducted by qualified personnel who should stop the study if any participant dies or is disabled. The results of the study should be helpful, and there should be a means to obtain them. The study should be based on the knowledge of the condition or disease studied. The World Medical Association developed the Declaration of Helsinki. It sets ethical principles on human experimentation for physicians and all the personnel involved in medical research (Baker, 2020). It recommends that the physician acts in the best interest of the patients and should safeguard and promote the patient’s well-being, which includes participants in medical studies. They should also minimize the harm to the environment. The purpose of generating new knowledge can never precede the interests and rights of the research subjects. If any of the research subjects are harmed, they should be compensated. Only individuals with the necessary scientific education, qualifications, and ethics should conduct medical research involving human subjects. Physicians should include patients in a study to justify diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive value.

The Tuskegee syphilis study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Service (PHS) of the United States, collaborating with Tuskegee University in 1932 and 1972. The study was conducted on African-American men who believed that the USA’s federal government was giving them free medical care, which was a lie by PHS. Its purpose was to know the natural history of untreated syphilis. The study was to last only six months but was continued for forty years even after its funding stopped (Nix, 2017). The infected men were not treated even after penicillin was discovered as the treatment for syphilis in 1947. It was terminated in 1972 after there was a leak to the press. It caused the death of one hundred and twenty-eight participants both from syphilis and other complications. It majorly violated ethical standards in research. They developed the Belmont Report after the Nuremberg Code, which formed after World War ll. It was created to help protect human subjects in research when the Nuremberg code proved to be inadequate in some complex situations (Redman & Caplan, 2021). Three ethical principles were deliberated in 1979 through this report. They include beneficence, justice, and respect for persons. These codes set the guidelines for behavioural and medical research involving humans to date. Lack of honesty, transparency, respect, and care for participants and lack of rigour will not enhance integrity in research.

Research and search for new medical solutions is an everyday activity in research centres. There is a history of mistreatment and abuse of human subjects in research in the USA. Reports and codes have been formulated to protect human subjects from any misuse or unnecessary risks. The researcher or physician has a responsibility to protect the participants of a study. Ensuring the safety of human subjects is vital in improving the health sector.

References

Alderson, P., & Morrow, V. (2020). The ethics of research with children and young people: A practical handbook. Sage.

Baker, R. (2020). The Declaration of Helsinki and the foundations of global bioethics. Ethical Research: The Declaration of Helsinki, and the Past, Present, and Future of Human Experimentation, 47.

Battisti, W. P., Wager, E., Baltzer, L., Bridges, D., Cairns, A., Carswell, C. I., … & Yarker, Y. E. (2015). Good publication practice for communicating company-sponsored medical research: GPP3. Annals of Internal Medicine, 163(6), 461-464.

Nix, E. (2017). Tuskegee experiment: The infamous syphilis study. HISTORY| Watch Full Episodes of Your Favorite Shows. https://www. history. Com/news/the-infamous-40-year Tuskegee-study.

Redman, B. K., & Caplan, A. L. (2021). Should the Regulation of Research Misconduct Be Integrated with the Ethics Framework Promulgated in The Belmont Report? Ethics & Human Research, 43(1), 37-41.

Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93-112.

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University Community Hospital has recently been criticized for its less-than-perfect patient care. In an attempt to curb negative implications, the administrators at the hospital decided that it was time to review their healthcare policies and practices using an analytical research study. Understanding the importance of ethical practices when conducting scientific research, the administrators reviewed the types of research to be conducted (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods). They also realized that the scientific community expects researchers to adhere to ethical and scientific guidelines when collecting and analyzing data. In addition, the reporting function needs to be completed with integrity. Other concerns are to not cause harm to participants in the study and to maintain their confidentiality. Obtaining informed consent and the necessary approval and accurately reporting the findings are also part of ethical healthcare research practices.

Healthcare Research Methods

For this report, incorporate the following questions:

When you involve human participants in any scientific research, what obligations do you have?
What are the four basic ethical principles guiding research?
What steps need to be taken before conducting a study?
What needs to be communicated to participants when starting and conducting a research study?
What principles should you consider when reporting and sharing the results of your research?
Unethical conduct can harm vulnerable groups through what?
What does the Nuremberg Code describe?
The Declaration of Helsinki addresses what recommendations?
What is true about the Tuskegee syphilis study?
What is true about the Belmont Report of 1979?
What will not enhance the integrity of a research study?
Submitting your assignment in APA format means, at a minimum, you will need the following: