scholarly journals Dealing with Un(Expected) Ethical Dilemma: Experience from the Field

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaleha Othman ◽  
Fathilatul Zakimi Abdul Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Ethical Dilemma ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sensitive Topics ◽  
Record Data

Despite the growing interest in qualitative research and discussion of ethics, there has been little focus in the literature on the specific ethical dilemmas faced by researchers. In this paper, we share our fieldwork experiences regarding the ethical dilemmas that we encountered while doing research on a sensitive topic. Specifically, we share some of the ethical dilemmas, that is, concerning confidentiality, anonymity, legitimacy, controversial data, interpretation and off-the-record data, which emerged from the research. Most importantly, this paper shares ideas concerning how researchers might deal with ethical issues while preserving their integrity in the research process. Overall, this paper suggests approaches that qualitative researchers can adopt when doing research on sensitive topics. The paper contributes towards closing an existing gap in the literature, making visible the challenges frequently faced by qualitative researchers, that is, the vulnerability of researchers while preserving research integrity. Finally, this paper concludes with the suggestion that ethical dilemmas are part of the research process in doing qualitative research. However, it is suggested that future research should focus on ethical issues from the perspective of the researchers as well as the respondents.

Psychiatrist-Patient Sexual Relationships: The Ethical Dilemmas

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cherrie A. Galletly
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Relationship ◽  
Ethical Dilemma ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Sexual Contact ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Power Inequality ◽  
Psychiatric Profession

Sexual relationships between psychiatrists and their patients raise a number of important ethical issues. The power inequality, transference and dependence which often occur in a therapeutic relationship render patients vulnerable to exploitation. Psychiatrists informed by a patient of sexual contact with a previous psychiatrist face a complex ethical dilemma. Attempts at regulation by professional organisations, or by the legal system, may create conflicts between the rights of the persons involved. The role of the psychiatric profession in confronting the problem of sexual exploitation of patients is discussed.

scholarly journals Qualitative Researcher Reflexivity: A Follow-Up Study with Female Sexual Assault Survivors

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Hoover ◽  
Susan Morrow
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Qualitative Researcher ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Follow Up Study

Motivated by researcher reflexivity, the author sought to learn from participants about the sensitive, ethical issues of the qualitative research process. The current study followed up with eight women who had previously participated in an interview-based study about sexual assault disclosure. Multiple sources of qualitative data were triangulated, including interviews, follow-up interviews, interviews from the original study, and participant checks. Phenomenological analysis yielded five themes: (a) Meaning of Participation, (b) Trust in the Researcher, (c) Connection with the Other Participants, (d) Changing Comfort, and (e) Recommendations to Increase Participants’ Comfort. Based on these results, recommendations are provided for researchers conducting reflexive qualitative research practices.

scholarly journals Research Integrity and Hidden Value Conflicts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert Helgesson ◽  
William Bülow
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Value Conflicts ◽  
Central Values ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Quality Of Research

AbstractResearch integrity is a well-established term used to talk and write about ethical issues in research. Part of its success might be its broad applicability. In this paper, we suggest that this might also be its Achilles heel, since it has the potential to conceal important value conflicts. We identify three broad domains upon which research integrity is applied in the literature: (1) the researcher (or research group), (2) research, and (3) research-related institutions and systems. Integrity in relation to researchers concerns character, although it remains to specify precisely what character traits are the desirable ones in this context and what values researchers should endorse. Integrity in relation to research concerns correct and sufficient description of the research process, data, results, and overall ‘research record’. Hence, it concerns the quality of research. However, whether or not this notion of research integrity covers all ethical aspects of research depends on whether one endorses a wider or a narrower interpretation of the ‘research process’. Integrity in relation to research-related institutions and systems leaves open whether they should be understood as agents in their own right or merely as means to research integrity. Besides the potential lack of clarity that our analysis reveals, we point to how this variety in uses might lead to concealment of value conflicts and propose an open discussion of central values.

Qualitative research ethics on the spot

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Øye ◽  
Nelli Øvre Sørensen ◽  
Stinne Glasdam
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Institutional Review Boards ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Review Boards

Background: The increase in medical ethical regulations and bureaucracy handled by institutional review boards and healthcare institutions puts the researchers using qualitative methods in a challenging position. Method: Based on three different cases from three different research studies, the article explores and discusses research ethical dilemmas. Objectives and ethical considerations: First, and especially, the article addresses the challenges for gatekeepers who influence the informant’s decisions to participate in research. Second, the article addresses the challenges in following research ethical guidelines related to informed consent and doing no harm. Third, the article argues for the importance of having research ethical guidelines and review boards to question and discuss the possible ethical dilemmas that occur in qualitative research. Discussion and conclusion: Research ethics must be understood in qualitative research as relational, situational, and emerging. That is, that focus on ethical issues and dilemmas has to be paid attention on the spot and not only at the desktop.

Reflections on the research process

2020 ◽  
pp. 181-188
Author(s):  
Natalie Booth
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Personal Reflection ◽  
Depth Data ◽  
The Family ◽  
Conducting Research

This chapter provides some brief reflections on the realities of conducting research with the caregiving kin. While this openness enhances the ‘credibility’ of the qualitative research, it can also help future researchers learn about the complexities and messiness of fieldwork. The chapter then discusses the practical challenges of recruiting participants, the ethical issues of managing implicit withdrawal, and a more personal reflection about how the researcher considers their own identity to have shaped the data collected. Ultimately, what is most important is that the fieldwork produced original, rich, in-depth data that are grounded in the lives and experiences of the family members, and informed by their accounts of maternal imprisonment. It is one of very few studies that has engaged directly with relatives looking after children whose mothers are serving a custodial sentence in England, producing insights that detail the ‘family sentence’ that they serve from a ‘disenfranchised’ social position.

Ethical Choices in Aesthetic Medicine and Beyond

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Lopez-Moriarty
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Dilemma ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Thought Process ◽  
Aesthetic Medicine ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ◽  
Ethical Choices ◽  
The Aesthetic

Practitioners will likely encounter significant ethical dilemmas during their professional careers. As these issues arise, practitioners will be required to analyze ethical issues and evaluate available choices. This case study discusses such an ethical dilemma in the context of aesthetic plastic surgery. The aesthetic provider is confronted with the question of whether or not to provide an ethically questionable procedure. The thought process discussed here can be extended beyond aesthetic medicine to all practitioners facing ethical dilemmas. An analysis of the principles of bioethics was undertaken. The principles of bioethics were then applied to the dilemma faced by the practitioner. Finally, a practical, 4-step system was constructed to be incorporated by the practitioner to guide in making ethically sound decisions.

Ethical Issues Encountered by Military Nurses During Wartime

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Agazio ◽  
Petra Goodman ◽  
Oluwakemi Opanubi ◽  
Patricia McMullen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Professional Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
Military Nurses ◽  
The Military

Military nurses encounter similar issues as civilian nurses in daily practice situations; however, wartime and humanitarian missions may bring unique and difficult ethical dilemmas. While nursing has the American Nurses Association code of ethics to provide a framework to guide ethical practice decisions, conflicts may arise from the unique aspects of nursing within a wartime environment. Understanding those conflicts occuring within the military wartime scenario can provide nurses with experiential examples from which to derive strategies for personal coping and professional behavior and decision making. This chapter describes the research that has focused upon the identification of these issues, the effects from uresolved issues, and those directions for future research to better prepare miltiary nurses before and during deployment.

scholarly journals The Benefits of Business Ethics - Ethical Behavior of Decision Makers: the Empirical Findings from Croatia

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4-1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
Ivana Bulog ◽  
Ivan Grančić
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Corporate Scandals ◽  
Successful Business

Abstract More than ever before, the ability of managers to recognize and deal with complex business ethical issues has become a significant priority. Ethical behavior has always been a concern for managers because they are the ones that have major responsibility in company when it is about business ethics. Managers’ work is manly the work of making decisions. On a daily basis they are making decisions - big and small ones - on which company future depends. Interest in business ethics and ethical behavior is on the rise, especially in recent years when widespread moral corporate scandals have brought this topic to the fore. Therefore, the organizational environment demands effective managers - decision makers -with the ability to behave ethically and the ability to make right choices. There is no doubt that the ethical behavior of decision makers is of strategic importance for successful business. It could be acknowledged that among the numerous different factors that can determine a company’s progress, the key elements that contribute to a more successful achievement of company competitive advantage is the ethical behavior of managers. This paper aims at analyzing the benefits of business ethics and at identifying the ethical behavior of managers in a big company in Croatia. Qualitative research was conducted and interesting and somewhat puzzling results were found. Based on the overall findings, this research offers the foundation for future research in this area. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of value for managers and their companies due to the improvement and development of business ethics and their ethical behavior.

Dangerous Liaisons?

2022 ◽  
pp. 878-897
Author(s):  
Edgar Ramírez-Solís ◽  
Verónica I. Baños-Monroy
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Moral Problems ◽  
Succession Process

Entrepreneurship is an essential engine for economic growth and innovation. During the last two decades, there has been a lot of academic interest in this kind of activity but only recently has research attention been devoted to the ethical problems encountered by entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. In this chapter, the authors highlight the ethical issues inherent to family firms. Intrapreneurs in a family business face uniquely moral problems related to fundamental fairness, succession process, copyright and brand use, and other challenges. For example, younger generations in family firms face a tricky balancing act between their loyalty to their families and finding new ventures or spin-offs based on the current business. This theoretical work aims to present some contemporary research in entrepreneurial ethics, examines the kinds of ethical dilemmas entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs face, identifies significant research topics and methodological approaches, and discusses possible directions for future research.

scholarly journals Does an interactive trust-enhanced electronic consent improve patient experiences when asked to share their health records for research? A randomized trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 620-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A Harle ◽  
Elizabeth H Golembiewski ◽  
Kiarash P Rahmanian ◽  
Babette Brumback ◽  
Janice L Krieger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Record ◽  
Primary Care Visit ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Medical Researchers ◽  
Record Data ◽  
Lower Education

Abstract Objective In the context of patient broad consent for future research uses of their identifiable health record data, we compare the effectiveness of interactive trust-enhanced e-consent, interactive-only e-consent, and standard e-consent (no interactivity, no trust enhancement). Materials and Methods A randomized trial was conducted involving adult participants making a scheduled primary care visit. Participants were randomized into 1 of the 3 e-consent conditions. Primary outcomes were patient-reported satisfaction with and subjective understanding of the e-consent. Secondary outcomes were objective knowledge, perceived voluntariness, trust in medical researchers, consent decision, and time spent using the application. Outcomes were assessed immediately after use of the e-consent and at 1-week follow-up. Results Across all conditions, participants (N = 734) reported moderate-to-high satisfaction with consent (mean 4.3 of 5) and subjective understanding (79.1 of 100). Over 94% agreed to share their health record data. No statistically significant differences in outcomes were observed between conditions. Irrespective of condition, black participants and those with lower education reported lower satisfaction, subjective understanding, knowledge, perceived voluntariness, and trust in medical researchers, as well as spent more time consenting. Conclusions A large majority of patients were willing to share their identifiable health records for research, and they reported positive consent experiences. However, incorporating optional additional information and messages designed to enhance trust in the research process did not improve consent experiences. To improve poorer consent experiences of racial and ethnic minority participants and those with lower education, other novel consent technologies and processes may be valuable. (An Interactive Patient-Centered Consent for Research Using Medical Records; NCT03063268)

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