Ethical Issues

NURSE’IN projects and activities by their nature are focused on Nursing care, whether in the clinical, management or educational dimension. They involve people and personal data, for example health. Moreover, if scientific research is a human activity with a great ethical responsibility for the inherent characteristics, we understand that nursing research has additional concerns with the wellbeing of the subjects of the studies and with the respect for human rights.

Doing health and nursing research often involves studying a population constituted by physically or psychologically fragile individuals, in a temporary or permanent way: for this reason, they should be given extra care in view of the duty to protect those who are most vulnerable and vulnerable.

Ethical concerns in research encompass all stages of the research process, while concern for the ethical quality of procedures and respect for established principles. From the beginning to the end of the study, from the relevance of the problem to the validity of the results for the development of knowledge, the choice of the methodology appropriate to the instruments and processes of data collection, the existence of previous results to the rules of publication and dissemination of results.

Among the basic requirements to consider, we include study relevance, scientific validity, population selection, risk-benefit ratio, independent ethical review, ensuring respect for participants' rights (specifically, informed consent, informed consent and free as well as confidentiality and data protection) at all stages of the study.

Whatever the epistemological and methodological choices are, research studies are following rules regarding the protection of individuals and the ethical quality of procedures. That is why:

  • all projects will have independent ethical review, prior to the realization (and whenever possible the application for funding);
  • all projects include, in the design dossier, information to participants and consent form. The right to full knowledge or full information about the study - the nature, purpose and duration of the research for which the person is asked to participate, as well as the methods used in the study, is considered essential. In the case of incapacitated persons (clinical, personal or circumstantial), supplementary / replacement consents will be requested by a legal representative;
  • all texts intended for participants shall be written in clear and accessible language;
  • all projects are explicit regarding the procedures for sampling and identification of participants (using, where appropriate, second referral by health professionals), as well as data collection and processing procedures;
  • the contexts of clinical practice in which the studies are carried out will only be identified if they are considered adequate, with minimal data on the clinical practice contexts, only in the strictly related to the project / stage, without unnecessary / additional descriptions;
  • all participants will have confidentiality, anonymity, the right to privacy and not responding to what they understand as well as the possibility of leaving the study if they wish;
  • in the cases where it is applied, information of reference professionals will be given to the participating subject (in addition to the study information), if you need support after data collection (especially relevant in sensitive subjects, personal experiences);
  • all researchers are committed to scientific integrity, in terms of data, processes and authorship; as well as to ensure that the characterization of the sample does not allow the identification of the subjects of the study and do not deal with elements that are potentially identifiable. Moreover, whenever a NURSE'IN investigator belongs to an ethics committee in which the project is submitted, it will comply with the principle of exemption, taking into account any conflict of interest.

As nurses, researchers are subject to the duties provided for in professional ethics, including confidentiality, privacy protection, as well as duties to safeguard the rights of children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. NURSE'IN's commitment is in accordance with the existing principles and rules as well as those to be implemented by Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (General Regulation on Data Protection) - applicable since 18 May 2018.