Specimens are necessary when carrying out medical research. The specimens used in medical research are often in form of animals like mice, rabbits, and monkeys. The results gotten from these researches help the researchers to know the expected results if the same treatment was used in humans. When the purpose of the research is to come up with a product that can be used by humans, the researchers must know the expected reactions (National Institute of Health, 2000).
For this reason, researchers require human participants to enable them to produce a product that is either new or that has been modified to meet certain needs. Since this is a risky venture, research participants must know their rights. Even in a clinical setting during the delivery of care, patients have their rights that need to be observed. This paper will discuss ethical issues that involve research participants concerning nursing care in a clinical setup (National Institute of Health, 2000).
Carrying research on an unsuspecting person is unethical. Before research engages research participants, the participants must give informed consent. Disclosure of all relevant details about the research is necessary for participants to give informed consent. This helps them understand the research purpose, the duration the research will take, and its requirements. The likely risks of the research should be indicated. This is especially necessary for special groups of people like such as patients or pregnant women. It is also necessary for the participants to know the benefits of the research either to society or to them as individuals. Any monetary or material compensation associated with the research should also be clearly stated (Haber & Lobiondo, 2009).
Privacy terms involved in the study should be described clearly. This information is usually in a consent form that the participant should sign before the research if he or she is comfortable and willing to participate. The participant should keep a copy of the consent form for future reference. The consent should be given willingly following the participant’s independent decision. If the participant is threatened, enticed, or forced to give his or her consent, then this right is said to have been violated (Haber & Lobiondo, 2009).
The research participant also has a right to voluntary participation. According to this right, the participant is free to decline any activity he or she is not comfortable with even it is after signing the consent form. The participant has the right to choose which question to answer and at what time he or she will do so. This right ensures that the participant gets full compensation as agreed upon even if they stop participating before the research is over. If the services are withdrawn following cessation of participation by the participant, then this right is violated. For example, if a patient was receiving medication as compensation for participation, then the patients should continue getting medication even after declining participation. In addition, the participant should not be threatened on such grounds (National Institute of Health, 2000).
Research participants should also be able to have contacts for the research rights bodies like Human Investigation Committees and Human Subjects Committees. This is necessary if the participants have concerns that they need to be addressed. Confidentiality violation occurs if information that was meant to be private is disclosed to the public. The research participant’s rights are violated if the research exposes them to risk or harm that may involve adverse physical or emotional changes. When there is evidence that the researchers exposed the participants to risk knowingly, their rights are violated. If the research is illegal according to federal laws, then there is a violation of their rights. In addition, when the compensation is made attractive to entice a participant into risky research, then the rights of the participant are violated (Haber & Lobiondo, 2009).
Nursing as a profession has a set of rules that guide the nurses’ conduct when discharging their duties. This set of rules is known as the code of conduct. The code of conduct has provisions that give the nurses the power to protect medical research participants’ rights. For example, the nurses are to be compassionate and respectful to their patients without discrimination as stipulated in provision one of the codes of conduct. The second provision in the code of conduct requires the nurses to be committed to their patients. The third provision requires the nurses to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. The fourth provision outlines that nurses are required to be accountable to their practices while providing optimal nursing care. The fifth provision requires the nurse to preserve integrity, safety and be competent. Nurses should also corporately ensure community, national and international efforts to meet health needs. Crowning the nurse’s code is the ninth provision that calls on the nurse to shape social policy (Fowler, 2008).
The American Nurses Association (ANA) supports this as evidenced in the statement it released. This statement supported the role of nurses in protecting ethical practice through preserving human rights. Human ethics and rights shoot from the same core values as the nurses’ code. Their goal is respect for autonomy, beneficence justice, and non-maleficence. The nurses’ code aids in helping the nurses make ethical decisions in their profession especially when faced with morally tricky situations. Thus, the ANA code explains the nurses’ ethical responsibilities and sets the ethical standards. For this reason, the ANA sets a nurses’ code that puts them in a position to protect a research participant’s rights. As much as this is legal, it again depends on individual nurses and their willingness to protect their patients (National Institute of Health, 2000).
References
Fowler, M. (2008). Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Interpretation and application. New York: Nurse-books Publishers.
Haber, J., & Lobiondo, G. (2009). Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. New York: Elsevier Publishers.
National Institute of Health, (2000). Protecting human subject research participants. Web.