Content area
Full text
KEY WORDS
ethics, ethical practice, nursing research, ethics committees, evidence-based practice (EBP)
ABSTRACT
Objective
A sound knowledge of the ethical principles that guide nursing practice and research are essential for any researcher. This article provides discussion regarding the principles as well as the history behind ethical practice in the construction of nursing research. The article also breaks down the process for achieving ethical consent and includes a simplified framework to guide the process of seeking ethical approval.
Primary Argument
Nurses new to the field of conducting research may benefit from an organised structure that helps them understand the sequence of events required to gain appropriate ethical approval and ensure an ethical approach is adopted. It is crucial for all researching nurses to understand, and adhere to, already well developed nationally and globally prescribed ethical and validated research study structures to be able to achieve ethical, valid and reliable research outcomes.
Conclusion
A framework is provided within this article to outline the process of gaining ethical consent for research. The information presented in the framework is based upon the discussion within the article and may assist the nurse researcher, who is unfamiliar with the process of obtaining ethics committee consent, to plan and prepare for their research approval, in a systematic logical manner. The framework reflects the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) criteria which guides Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs). Nursing research needs to be able to ethically contribute to the body of Evidence Based Practice.
INTRODUCTION
There are two main areas to consider regarding ethics in nursing research. Firstly, there are the principles that guide the day-to-day practice of nurses (Stephens and Brighton 2015; Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2013) and secondly, the important components to remember when conducting research. This paper will therefore define and apply the six ethical principles relevant to health professionals (Lumby 2016; Stephens and Brighton 2015), discuss the historical background that underpins the relevance of adhering to codes of ethics and conduct, particularly when researching human participants (Johnstone 2016), and lastly, provide an overview of the steps required to ethically undertake nursing research and gain ethical consent from the appropriate committees.
ETHICS, ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND ETHICAL CONSENT FOR UNDERTAKING RESEARCH
Ethics refers to the moral principles...