7.5 Keeping It Ethical
At the end of this section, you will be able to:
‹ Discuss ethical issues related to quantitative designsWhen researchers plan studies using quantitative designs, they must in-
corporate mechanisms to safeguard the rights of subjects. In nursing and
other health research, no subject can receive less than what is considered to
be the usual standard of care. Even if subjects withdraw from studies, they
must continue to receive standard care. Providing standard care protects
subjects’ rights to fair treatment. For example, in a study testing the effects
of several educational programs on patient outcomes, it would be unethical
for subjects in the control group to receive no education because the usual
standard of care is to provide all patients with education about their care.
When studies involve the use of placebos, decisions about their use must
be scrutinized carefully because it is unethical to withhold treatment while
testing a new intervention.
To protect the autonomy of individuals, they must be made aware of the benefits
and risks of participating in a study so that they can make informed decisions
about participating. All institutional review boards require that a description
of benefits and risks be provided on consent forms. Most researchers also
provide verbal explanations of the benefits and risks when recruiting subjects.
When designing quantitative studies, researchers must assess the asso-
ciated benefits and risks of any intervention or test that they plan to use.- A researcher is conducting a study to determine whether a radio advertisement about
the importance of early detection for colorectal cancer increases the attendance of
middle-aged men at a free screening. Which type of research is this an example of?
(Select all that apply.)
a. Basic research
b. Community-based participatory research
c. Health services research
d. Translational research
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 7-4
How did you do? 1. c, d188 CHAPTER 7 Quantitative Designs: Using Numbers to Provide Evidence