Nurses and other healthcare professionals need to apply their competencies when pursuing their goals in different capacities. They can complete various projects in an attempt to present meaningful insights that can improve beneficiaries’ experiences. Throughout such exercises, it is appropriate to consider ethical issues that can make every study practical, meaningful, and replicable in different settings to improve people’s experiences. The current exercise is aimed at analyzing the effectiveness of a mindfulness program targeting patients and other community members who are at risk of an ongoing pandemic.
Important Considerations
Many projects in healthcare settings are usually complex and involve human subjects. Such studies target members of the public to provide timely information that can support the decision-making processes and deliver meaningful insights to improve their experiences. The intended mindfulness program will only succeed if the involved subjects are treated in an ethical manner. First, the issue of ethics is critical and will become the guiding principle for the entire study. To protect the involved human subjects, it will be essential to seek informed consent before enrolling the identified individuals in the study (Weinbaum et al., 2019). Such a practice is essential since it will ensure that only those interested in the process are involved and encouraged to provide their views. The identified individuals should provide the relevant consent to allow the use of the recorded personal information. This strategy will make the study acceptable and relevant to the identified situation.
Second, the inclusion of underage children’s data is a practice that needs reconsideration if the intended study is capable of protecting the rights of the intended human subjects. Such society members are vulnerable and might not be aware of the intentions and goals of the study. Should the need to have several children in the study arise, the most ethical strategy is ensuring that their parents and guardians are aware of the process or involved (Surmiak, 2018). Such a practice will support the protection of all involved participants and ensure that the acquired information remains relevant and acceptable to the greatest majority.
Third, confidentiality is a critical principle that results in a high-quality and ethical research that protects human subjects and confidential data. In this case study, the information acquired throughout the process will be handled effectively in accordance with the outlined guidelines. For instance, no personal or private data should be shared with unauthorized or third-party users (Weinbaum et al., 2019). Additionally, it would be inappropriate to share real names and personal details that could amount to unethical practice. Such a process will make the entire study ethical, capable of protecting the identified subjects, and eventually deliver timely ideas for supporting more citizens throughout the pandemic period.
Project Status: Ethical and Protective Process
The intended project is a case study focusing on mindfulness as a powerful practice for helping people whenever there is a disease outbreak. The specific program will mainly rely on past studies completed on the topic and present a comprehensive summary that could guide psychologists, health professionals, and policymakers to consider superior ways of improving patients’ experiences (Surmiak, 2018). Since the project will be a case study focusing on a specified site, IRB approval would be unnecessary.
As the lead researcher, I will consider some of the best initiatives to assure a protective and ethical process for those involved. The first group of individuals is that of patients in the targeted institution. Ethical guidelines will support the entire process whereby the participants will have to acknowledge the study by providing informed consent (Weinbaum et al., 2019). Similarly, the health leaders in every department or community will be requested to be involved and increase the participants’ confidence. The considerations outlined above will be essential to maximize the ethicality of the entire exercise.
The data collectors and analysts involved in the case study will receive timely rules regarding how they can handle the acquired information, the manner in which they relate with the recruited subjects, and the decisions they will make throughout the process. The consideration of an oath will be essential to compel all participants to follow the outlined guidelines. It is appropriate to complete the case study in such a way that the collected data is handled effectively and not shared with individuals who are not part of the process. The unique protocols associated with studies involving human subjects will ensure that positive results are recorded (Surmiak, 2018). After completing the study, it will be necessary to proofread and crosscheck the final report to ensure that it does not contain confidential information of both the selected stakeholders and patients.
Conclusion
The proposed case study seeks to learn more about the effectiveness of mindfulness in dealing with various pandemics. The above discussion has outlined some of the key ethical principles and procedures that researchers need to take seriously in order to protect the rights of the targeted patients and other key stakeholders. The description has also identified the best practices for handling and communicating confidential information after the successful completion of the targeted case study.
References
Surmiak, A. (2018). Confidentiality in qualitative research involving vulnerable participants: Researchers’ perspectives. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 19(3). Web.
Weinbaum, C., Landree, E., Blumenthal, M. S., Piquado, T., & Gutierrez, C. I. (2019). Ethics in scientific research: An examination of ethical principles and emerging topics. Rand Corporation.