17.1 Ethics In Research

Front 1

Honesty in research. Major scientific fraud and harm is done every year from scientific misconduct.
Which ONE of these is ethical?
1. fabricating/falsification/misrepresentation of results
2. plagiarism
3. misleading authorship
4. reporting studies with no outcome difference despite good study design.
5.conducting research without ethics approval

Back 1

4. Medical journals now report many "no result" trials to try to avoid the impact of the "positive result" biasing reporting and therefore evidence.

Other common unethical forms of research fraud include:
-undeclared interests
-popular media/current affairs stories "miracle drugs" to market therapies
-risking safety of humans, animals, environment
-concealing misconduct of self or others in research/publication

(Dunn 314)

Front 2

What are the 4 main ethical principles in research?

(Dunn p 314)

Back 2

integrity of the researcher
respect for persons
beneficence
justice

Front 3

Unethical research includes ALL EXCEPT:
1. study unlikely to provide a worthwhile answer (wasted money, wasted risk to volunteers)
2. study where sacrifices from volunteers are out of keeping with value of research being undertaken.
3. Study poorly powered to provide an answer to the primary question
4. Studies where design errors make any conclusions susceptible to any bias.
5 investigators have no support team or expertise in the area

Back 3

4. All studies have some design error and bias possibilities. It is the role of the designer and ethics committees to ensure MAJOR errors and SERIOUS bias is avoided before a study starts.

Front 4

Ethical approval must be sought for all research. Which ONE of these may not require ethics approval?
1. Quality audits
2. Animal studies
3. Retrospective chart review studies
4. Research in the arrested patient

Back 4

1. Some may require ethics approval, but theses audits are EXPECTED to be done in a well functioning system.

Front 5

Consent to be entered into a research project must be obtained from ALL patients EXCEPT
1. Where ethics approval board has deemed consent to be unnecessary
2. In arrested or unconscious patients
3. Where patients are too anxious or unwell to be correctly informed
4. Where patients do not understand English
5. Where patients will receive the same care if they are entered in a trial or not

Back 5

1. This is rare. The other options 2-5 are often difficult, but consent can be gained later, or from a 3rd person/authority .

Remember consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Dunn 314, Cameron 732.

Front 6

Consent in research (Dunn 314). Of the 6 points below, which is FALSE?
1. Consent to be involved in research should be informed (Ethics committees may need to allow for research on patients not able to consent) using plain language statements.
2. consent must be freely given (not coerced)
3. can be withdrawn at any time
4. should not interfere with normal treatment
5. can be obtained by any health-carer/student
6. there should be a mechanism to comment on the trial to someone not directly involved in it.

Back 6

5. Consent should be obtained by someone able to answer relevant questions.