Research paper

RESPONSE 1:

Ethical Issues

In research, ethical concerns are guidelines that guide the researcher in the study's design. When collecting information from participants, researchers must follow a set of rules. (Arifin, 2018). When conducting research, five principles need to be followed: justice, beneficence, integrity, responsibility, and respect for individuals. The first principle is justice, divided into two parts: procedural justice. The research procedures must be fair in making the mechanism available to the participants to easily address any concerns they may have about the research (Arifin, 2018). The second part is distributive, which requires researchers to provide the individuals to participate in the study equal access to the research benefits and ensure that harm is not leaning more on a particular group of people.

The second principle is beneficence which requires the researcher to consider maximizing the potential benefits of the research while minimizing the risks (Husband, 2020). If there is a risk, it is proper for a researcher to identify in advance and communicate to the participants to get informed consent. The third element is transparency and trust, which necessitates researchers establish and maintain a trustworthy relationship with study participants. Investigators must be transparent and honest in presenting what participants will experience and the potential repercussions of participation before they consent to engage in the study. (Husband, 2020). However, it is important to know that there are instances whereby the researcher will not have to reveal what they are researching so that the participants won’t be affected for willingly desiring to participate (Husband, 2020). There are times when the participants have to be anonymous even to the researcher so that their identity is not known and to ensure that the findings are authentic.

Researchers must also keep all pledges and commitments in the participation agreement. When full information is not given before getting informed consent, protection must be placed to preserve the participants' welfare and dignity (Arifin, 2018). Informed consent in this context refers to permission granted by the participants, who are fully aware of the risks, and in case of anything, the researcher is not accountable. The fourth principle is integrity- this principle requires the researcher to be sincere when reporting the research results. If there are errors, it has to be removed, and the researcher should present what they have done (Miracle, 2016). Integrity means getting credit from work that an individual has done and that the data has not been published elsewhere (Husband, 2020). The last principle is respect for dignity-this principle asserts that researchers need to respect participants and acknowledge that they are people who deserve respect.

The implication is that participants must have consent to avoid being deceived and ensure that confidentiality is exercised during the research (Husband, 2020). Participants are given the option to withdraw or exit a study without feeling obliged. The subjects are not required to specify a reason for their withdrawal from the study. It's vital to emphasize to participants that refusing to participate has no negative consequences (Miracle, 2016). Participants are a vital part of the study process, and researchers should respect their decisions and avoid trying to persuade them differently. 

References

Arifin, S. R. M. (2018). Ethical considerations in a qualitative study. International Journal of Care Scholars, 1(2), 30-33.

Husband, G. (2020). Ethical data collection and recognizing the impact of semi-structured interviews on research respondents. Education Sciences, 10(8), 206.

Miracle, V. A. (2016). The Belmont Report: The triple crown of research ethics. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 35(4), 223-228.

RESPONSE 2:

The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles

According to Irbmed (2011), The Belmont Report was historically published in 1979 and has been considered a cornerstone document based on its accuracy in analyzing ethical values during research. It is a statement of basic ethical principles and guidelines that should support resolving the ethical issues that surround the conduct of research with human subjects (The Belmont Report, 1979). While scientific research's importance and role over many decades ago cannot be overemphasized (especially through massive gains witnessed in scientific and technological breakthroughs to the global society), ethical principles and guidelines for research involving human subjects must not be overemphasized taken with levity. According to Sims (2010), this report's three principles are; beneficence, justice, and respect for individuals. 

However, according to The Belmont Report (1979), the ethical principles and guidelines involves;

· Boundaries between practice and research

· Basic ethical principles; respect for persons, beneficence, justice

· Applications: informed consent, risks and benefits assessment, and subjects selection.

According to Belmont Report (1979), boundaries between practice and research draw the line between biomedical and behavioral research, while the other practice should involve accepted therapy by the participant respectively, to ascertain the necessary procedures that ought to undergo review for the protection of human subjects used for the research.

However, the expression “basic ethical principles” refers to those general judgments that serve as a basic justification for the many particular ethical prescription and evaluations of human actions" (The Belmont Report, 1979). As it sounds, "respect for persons" indicates the treatments of participants to be within their obligations and not treated with inequality, force, or denied freedom of choice especially when the individual can't make personal choices. However, goodwill includes treating persons with ethical conduct by respecting their choices, protecting them from harm to the nearest possible minimum, and securing their well-being. According to The Belmont Report (1979), the question is who is to receive the beneficial outcome of research and who is to endure the burdens created from such research. That means fairness in distribution and what the researcher and participants deserve. Therefore, denying the necessary quarters their deserved benefits without tangible reason and sharing an unduly burden is seen as an act of injustice.

Also, informed consent entails the need for a researcher to ensure the participant is aware and capable of making choices on what can or cannot happen to them. According to The Belmont Report (1979), the consent process includes three major elements: information, comprehension, and voluntariness. The assessment of risks and benefits requires a careful arrayal of relevant data, including, in some cases, alternative ways of obtaining the benefits sought in the research (The Belmont Report, 1979). 

The Belmont Report talks about ethical standards that should be followed while conducting any research. It can be considered one of the leading works per ethical values and health care research. This report is mainly channeled towards the protection and safety of research participants in clinical studies and extensively to any research carried out by any researcher, student, scholar, examiner, etc. This report underlines the importance of safety while conducting research using human beings as a study as human life is invaluable. Primarily, respect, consent, benefits, risks are all factors that must be considered while conducting research. 

My research deals with how the digital divide affects the adoption of telemedicine to improve healthcare service delivery in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. According to Hacker and Mason (2019), the major issue facing remedying digital divide research is the inability to embed ethical concerns as an explicit portion of analyzing and interpreting digital divide breaches.

However, there are ethical concerns in the discussion of the digital divide, which mainly focuses on who is going to pay to make technology available for those that are marginalized (Wunderlich, n.d). The specific questions include if the government is going to take financial responsibility? Or are the taxpayers going to support bringing the change through their finances? Or are there funds in place set to tackle the issues?

Other ethical concerns deal with if individuals are the ones not knowing how to use the technology correctly or how to educate people? Who to pay for educating people to educate them? Will people who received digital technology education be required to pay for having received it?

In conclusion, researchers need to start including more concerns on ethics with their findings on the digital divide as this measure will offer better research and findings that can aid policy deliberations (Hacker & Mason, 2019).

 

References

Hacker, K. L., & Mason, S. M. (2019). Ethical gaps in studies of the digital divide. Ethics and Information Technology, 5(2), 99-115. DOI:10.1023/A:1024968602974.

Irbmed. (2011). The Belmont Report Part one: Basic Ethical Principles [Video file]. Irbmed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86zWBjDaXPk

Nibusiness. (2020). Artificial Intelligence in Business: Risks and limitations of artificial intelligence in business. nibusiness info: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/risks-and-limitations-artificail-intelligence-business

Sims, J. M. (2010). A brief review of the Belmont report. Dimens Crit Care Nurs, 29(4): 173-174. DOI: 10.1097/DCC.0b013e3181de9ec5.PMID: 20543620.

The Belmont Report. (1979). Ethical Principles and Guidelines for The Protection of Human Subjects of Research. The National Commission for The Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1-10.

Wunderlich, H. (n.d). Ethical Concerns. University of New Hampshire: https://mypages.unh.edu/digitaldivides/ethical-concerns