A study of the impact of chronic pain on an obese adult’s quality of life is a sensitive subject. This is because society often stigmatizes obese people making them emotionally and psychologically vulnerable. Researchers, therefore, have to observe several ethical issues to avoid harm to participants and uphold honesty and fairness (Kimmel, 2007). We intend to seek permission from the college’s department of nursing. Informed consent is one of the basic ethical principles in research. We intend to inform our participants so that they are thoroughly aware of the questions and risks involved if any. The group will formulate a consent sheet indicating clearly who we are, our college, and a description of what we are doing. It will also explain to the participants why we have chosen them for the study.
As an ethical principle, the group will not exert pressure on individuals. Participation will be through consent and we will inform participants of their liberty to withdraw at any point in the research. We will neither coerce nor pester participants. Though we will issue consent forms, we will explain the liberty to pull out and ask for the removal of certain information. The research will uphold the confidentiality and anonymity of participants. Under no circumstances will the process reveal the identity of participants to a third party. Obese people are a vulnerable group because of the stigma the society has attached to the condition. However, the research anticipates minimal pain. To protect the participants from emotional distress, the research will not pester them. Rather, researchers will ask questions in a positive way while upholding privacy. A friendly attitude will benefit participants by allowing them to speak about their condition in a relaxed atmosphere (Oliver, 2010).
Cargan (2007) argues that qualitative research should “strive to be empirical and minimize bias” (43). The research intends to achieve credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability using a combination of strategies. Boswell and Cannon (2011) define credibility as “the yardstick to establish whether results are believable or not” (54). In the research on the effect of obesity on participants’ quality of life, the focus will be more on the quality of information rather than quantity. Questionnaires will be short and the interview time will be less with more emphasis on collecting rich information. Alongside credibility, the research will ensure transferability in the study. To achieve this, the study will provide detailed information on methods used to enhance the readers’ ability to transfer it to a different context.
The research will ensure that the findings are consistent to the extent that the whole process if repeated will yield similar results. This will enhance the dependability of the study. Wood and Kerr (2011) provide the yardstick for dependability as “the standards of which the research is conducted” (87). This research will be detailed enough to allow external inquisition and validation. Cargan (2007) identifies bias as one of the most detrimental aspects of research. This study will avoid bias by supplying enough data to corroborate research findings. This will enhance the confirmability of the research and ensure objectivity. Upon completion of the research, the group will conduct a comprehensive audit trail detailing the process of decision-making at different junctures in the course of the research.
By upholding research ethics and conducting the study without bias, the group intends to contribute to the growing discourse on how obesity affects the quality of life of those with the condition.
References
Boswell, C., & Cannon, S. (2011). Introduction to nursing research: Incorporating evidence-based practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Cargan, L. (2007). Doing social research. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kimmel, A. J. (2007). Ethical issues in behavioral research: Basic and applied perspectives. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub.
Oliver, P. (2010). The student’s guide to research ethics. Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press.
Wood, M. J., & Kerr, J. C. (2011). Basic steps in planning nursing research: From question to proposal. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett.