Class 5: Ethics in Nursing Research

CNA Code Of Ethics Values

1. Honouring the dignity and autonomy of all people

2. Valuing relations and humanizing care

3. Maintaining integrity and accountability in nursing practice

4. Pursuing truth and reconciliation

5. Promoting social justice

6. Providing competent professional nursing practice

7. Preserving privacy and confidentiality

Ethical dilemma (related to nursing research)

a situation where there is a difficult choice between following research requirements and protecting the rights, well-being, or wishes of participants, with no clear “right”
answer.

Example: Doing research on people with dementia. Can they provide informed consent/can their next of kin? Is the information theyre giving accurate?

Nuremberg ethics code (brief overview, has 10 articles)

1. Need voluntary, informed consent that can be withdrawn without consequence at any time. The subject should be protected at all times

2. Experiment must be for the good of humanity, can’t bring anyone unnecessary pain/suffering

3. Only scientifically qualified people should perform experiments

4. Risk assessment should be based on the results of prior animal experimentation and knowledge that the result of the study will justify the performance of the experiment

Protection of human rights 

Right to self-determination (informed consent and voluntary participation)

Right to privacy and dignity (anonymity and confidentiality)

Right to anonymity and confidentiality 

Right to fair treatment 

Right to protection from discomfort and harm 

Anonymity 

Subject/particpants identity is unknown or linked to the info they provided, even to the researcher 

Confidentiality

Identities of participants will not be linked to the information they provide and wont be publicly divulged 

Legal age of consent

16

Informed consent

The legal principle that requires a researcher to inform individuals about the potential benefits and risks of a study before the individual can particpate voluntarily

process consent

Voluntary continued participation in a study can be verbal for each data collection point. Generally, participants can withdraw consent up to the point of data analysis 

Assent

An aspect of informed consent that pertains to protecting the rights of children as research subjects and involves:

A basic understanding by the child of what the child will be expected to do/what will be done to the child

A comprehension by the child of the basic purpose to the research

An ability of the child to express a preference regarding participation

Benefience

An obligation to do no harm and maximize possible benefits

Tri agencies in Canada (such as CIHRL) define human dignity through 3 core principles:

1. Respect for persons (seeking free, informed and ongoing consent)

2. Concern for welfare (balancing harm and benefits, depends on the nature of the research being undertaken and the individuals within the group)

3. Justice (fair and equitable treatment, no imbalance of power between research and participants/vulnerable groups)

Colonialism

The creation of institutions and policies by European imperial powers and Euro-American settler governments directed towards Indigenous peoples. This has led to:

Settler colonialism across North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand 

Historical amd intergenerational trauma 

Systemic racism 

Indigenous paradigms (Indigenous/aboriginal traditional knowledge-IK and ATK)

The understanding that knowledge cannot be owned but is shared

View humans as one small aspect in a universe that includes animals, plants, space, water etc are all sharing the space and are interconnected 

TCPS-CORE2 guidelines

Researchers must review these when conducting research involving Indiegnous peoples in Canada (First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples)

Critical thinking decision path

Illustrates the ethical thinking decision path of a research ethics board evaliating the risk-benefit ratio of a research study