When a nurse researcher distributes an explanatory information sheet t

When a nurse researcher distributes an explanatory information sheet to subjects solicited for par-ticipation in her study, which of the following ethical principles that guide research is this re-searcher using?

1. Informed consent
2. Freedom from harm
3. Protection of subjects
4. Confidentiality of subjects

ANSWER

ANS: 1
As a component of informed consent, research subjects are given full and complete information about the purpose of the study, procedures, data collection, potential harm and benefits, and al-ternative methods of treatment.
Research aspects such as minimizing the risk to participants, allowing reasonable risk to partici-pants in relation to anticipated benefits, and monitoring the research to ensure the safety of par-ticipants follow the ethical standard of freedom from harm.
In the case of research, institutions have Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations that identify how protected health information of research subjects is to be managed. The nurse researcher who follows HIPAA guidelines is following the principle of pro-tection of subjects.
Confidentiality guarantees that any information provided by the subject will not be reported in any manner that identifies the subject and will not be made accessible to people outside the re-search team. Describing how confidentiality is maintained is a component of informed consent.