Introduction
The research team will comprise the research supervisor, experienced researchers who are the leading research performers, and young scientists. The inclusion of the latter is dictated by the desire to provide young scientists with involvement in the scientific research environment and gain experience in conducting research. In addition, the following specialists and experts will be included in the research team: a consultant in the field of legal norms and legal peculiarities in the field, an information technology specialist (to ensure a professional approach to the processing, storage, and protection of data), technical support specialists (to ensure the most smooth conducting of the communication sessions themselves using online technologies).
Participants will be students of the last nurses and novice nurses preparation courses, i.e., practitioners who have recently entered clinical practice. Also, the pool of participants will include individuals who have shown a desire and consent to act out the second side of the communicative situation (doctors, colleagues, patients, relatives, and family of patients and other potential participants in communication in the process of clinical practice). The composition of this floor will be as broad and varied as possible since it is not limited by location, experience, background, and any other characteristics.
Ethical Consideration concerning Recruitment
Participants will be recruited on an equal basis. The principle of fairness prevents the prevalence of risk for one group for the benefit of another and implies that the selection of research subjects should be carried out impartially (Anabo et al., 2019). This applies both to the participant, as an individual, and as a member of a social, racial, gender, or ethnic group. Participants will not be selected because they are sympathetic or unsympathetic to the researcher (for example, the selection of participants based on their excellent grades, experience in clinical practice, or any other criterion that potentially distorts the research results will be prohibited). Social justice determines the order of priority in selecting research participants among different groups of the population (Anabo et al., 2019). In this study, the recruitment of participants will strive to randomize study participants as much as possible to eliminate injustice arising from social, racial, gender, and cultural biases in society.
Ethical Concerns Related to Data Collection and Intervention Activities
Participation in scientific research is an important personal decision. Before deciding to participate, researchers will educate participants about the study’s objectives and the potential risks and benefits. The crucial step here will be to explain the rules the researchers follow to ensure the safety and privacy of all participants. If the participants do not understand something or they have questions, they can always ask for help. For this, they will be provided with contacts of researchers responsible for direct communication with respondents. For convenience, various communication channels will be included – email, telephone number, and official social media accounts contacts. It will also ensure that participants do not feel rushed or pressured into making a decision. Participation in the study is completely voluntary, and it is a personal choice of each participant. Once they understand the objectives of the study, they may decide to take part in it; in doing so, they will be asked to sign a document called the Informed Consent form (Biros, 2018). They can change their mind at any time, for any reason, even after signing this document.
The Treatment of Data and Its Protection
In this study, measures will be taken to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized access to the data. After collecting the data, all personal information will be deleted; the data will be encrypted and anonymized. To achieve security, lists of codes and data files will be stored in different locations, and an aggregated presentation of the data will be used. Images such as screenshots of video sessions can be used without prior consent, as they will maintain anonymity by eliminating any distinctive features and are not accompanied by text that can be used to identify the patient (Ballantyne, 2019; Schwartz et al., 2019). If during the research and preparation of the publication, it is necessary to include information that allows identification of the patient, it will be necessary to obtain the written consent of the participant. If an agreement is obtained to share the information, this will be indicated in the published article. The study takes into account both national legislation and local rules and requirements.
Conclusion
In conducting research and publishing results, authors are responsible for disclosing financial and personal relationships that may have an impact on their work. Any situation (financial relations, labor relations, consultations, shareholding, fees, paid expert testimony), service, or work in institutions with a financial or political interest in published materials (official duties, personal relations, labor relations, consultations, ownership of shares, fees, paid testimony of experts, and other personal relationships), which can influence the author’s opinion, assessment, interpretation of research results and lead to concealment, distortion of data or change their interpretation (Benedetti & Langerman, 2020). There is no conflict of interest in this study.
References
Anabo, I. F., Elexpuru-Albizuri, I., & Villardón-Gallego, L. (2019). Revisiting the Belmont Report’s ethical principles in internet-mediated research: perspectives from disciplinary associations in the social sciences. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(2), 137-149.
Ballantyne, A. (2019). Adjusting the focus: a public health ethics approach to data research. Bioethics, 33(3), 357-366.
Benedetti, D. J., & Langerman, A. (2020). Not All Conflicts Are Bad: Why Some Conflicts of Interests Advanced Patients’ Interests. The American Journal of Bioethics, 20(10), 92-94.
Biros, M. (2018). Capacity, vulnerability, and informed consent for research. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(1), 72-78.
Schwarz, C. G., Kremers, W. K., Therneau, T. M., Sharp, R. R., Gunter, J. L., Vemuri, P.,… & Jack Jr, C. R. (2019). Identification of anonymous MRI research participants with face-recognition software. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(17), 1684-1686.