Nursing
Recruitment
of research participants through the Internet. (includes abstract) Im E; CIN:
Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 2004 Sep-Oct; 22 (5): 289-97 (journal article
- tables/charts) PMID: 15520599 CINAHL AN: 2004180549
Despite an
increasing amount of Internet research, issues in recruitment for studies in this
environment rarely have been discussed. The purpose of this article is to
provide some future directions for participant recruitment via the Internet,
based on the experiences of recruiting participants
for three Internet survey studies.
The issues in the recruitment
process include those related to low response rates, selected groups of participants, the importance of timing,
and potential ethical issues. Based on the discussion of the issues, the
following suggestions are proposed for future recruitment through the Internet: use of creative motivation
strategies; sensitivity to the gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of
potential participants; consideration
of the timing of data, collection; and sensitivity to potential ethical issues.
Methods. Issues in protection of human subjects in Internet research.
(includes abstract) Im E;
Nursing Research, 2002 Jul-Aug; 51 (4): 266-9 (journal article - research)
PMID: 12131239 CINAHL AN: 2002110236
BACKGROUND:
Despite the increasing use of the Internet
among nurses, the use of the Internet
in nursing research has been rarely
discussed and critiqued in terms of issues
in protection of human subjects. APPROACH: In this article, issues in protection of human subjects in Internet research are explored by analyzing an Internet study to propose directions
for human protection in Internet research. RESULTS: Issues raised through the study include those related to (a)
anonymity and confidentiality, (b) security, (c) self-determination and
authenticity, (d) full disclosure, and (e) fair treatment. DISCUSSION: Based on
discussion of the five issues,
development of standardized guidelines, investigator triangulation, and
information sharing are proposed as directions for protection of human subjects in Internet research.
Internet research
in midwifery: Practical considerations and challenges. By: Stewart,
Sarah. British Journal of Midwifery, Sep2006, Vol. 14 Issue 9, p527-529, 3p; (AN 22462880)
The Internet is an exciting tool for midwifery research; however there are a number of unique challenges that must
be addressed. The global and transient nature of the Internet sometimes makes it difficult for the researcher to ensure
best practice, but international guidelines provide direction in dealing with
these issues. The Internet
researcher must ensure anonymity and confidentiality, as well as gain informed
consent from research participants.
Copyright and intellectual property regulations must be observed, rules of
online communities should be respected and an endeavour
must be made to ensure that research
results are disseminated to all the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Nurse Educ Today. 2005 Jan;25(1):3-8.
An overview of the ethics of
cyber-space research and the implication for nurse educators.
This paper
provides an overview of the techniques available to the cyber-space researcher
together with a consideration of the specific ethical issues that such research
generates. It is acknowledged that these research methods are, at present, not
widely utilised within health care sciences, thus
this paper draws upon the experiences and debates that are current within other
disciplines, predominantly those of the social sciences. The primary areas of
ethical concern are suggested to be those surrounding consent, privacy,
identification verification and disguise. These issues are further considered
for their implications for nurse educators and for those academics that are either undertaking cyber-space research of their own or
supervising student's Internet-based research projects.
Contemp Nurse.
2003 Dec-2004 Feb;16(1-2):114-23.
Ensnaring webs and nets: ethical issues
in Internet-based research.
The Internet
is a relatively new medium for research that few nurse researchers have
embraced. While it offers countless opportunities for nursing research, it also
is prey to many perils. In the crucible of cyberspace, the very nature of not
only the research process, but also that of the participant researcher
relationship is transmuted. This paper critically examines the major and often
unique ethical issues of online research, and argues these must be adequately
addressed if online nursing research is to effectively protect participants and
researchers from harm, and optimally meet the profession's and society's best interests.
J Prof Nurs. 2004 Jan-Feb;20(1):68-74.
Ethical and legal issues of conducting
nursing research via the Internet.
In February
2001, President Clinton's Information Technology Advisory Commission reported
that information technology has the potential to advance biomedical research.
As nursing research via the Internet expands, important ethical and legal
issues need to be addressed. The purpose of this article is to report one
researcher's journey in attempting to conduct ethical and legal nursing
research via the Internet. The ethical and legal issues needing attention are
discussed. Potential guidelines are provided for researchers wanting to use
Internet technology
Oncol Nurs Forum. 1998 May;25(4):673-6.
Comment in:
Oncol Nurs Forum. 1998 Oct;25(9):1497-8.
Internet cancer support groups: legal
and ethical issues for nurse researchers.
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES:
To explore the legal and ethical issues surrounding the use of information
obtained from Internet cancer support groups (ICSGs)
in research. DATA SOURCES: Published articles, news broadcasts, books,
government reports. DATA SYNTHESIS: ICSGs are a rich
source of information for people with cancer, their families, caregivers, and
nurse researchers. Because ICSGs are new in research,
potential legal and ethical conflicts in this setting exist. CONCLUSIONS: ICSGs are an early prototype of patient groups empowered to
seek health through the use of information technology. Nurses are ideally
suited to advance this new area of healthcare technology. Honoring the trust
that patients have always placed in nurses is essential if this technology is
to be developed further. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Given the dearth of
guidelines to direct researchers, legal and ethical conflicts may occur. Nurse
researchers should be cognizant of the potential legal and ethical implications
involved in conducting research via the Internet.
Issues in Internet survey research
among cancer patients.
Cancer Nurs. 2004 Jan-Feb;27(1):34-42; quiz 43-4.
PMID: 15108950 [PubMed
- indexed for MEDLINE]
Considering
the increasing number of cancer patients who are online, it is clear that the
Internet will provide an important research medium and/or setting for oncology
nurses in the near future. Despite increasing Internet usage in nursing
research and practice, issues in using the Internet among cancer patients as a
research tool have rarely been explored and discussed. The purpose of the
article is to propose future directions for Internet research among cancer
patients based on discussions of practical issues raised in an Internet survey
study among 40 online cancer patients. The issues raised through the research
process include (a) ethical issues, (b) recruitment issues, (c) issues in Web
site development and maintenance, and (d) data entry and analysis issues. On
the basis of the discussions of these issues, some future directions for
Internet survey studies are proposed, including dealing with ethical issues,
getting computer expertise, using motivational strategies, and using national
and international approaches.
Kralik D, Warren J,
Price K, Koch T, Pignone G.
The ethics of research using electronic
mail discussion groups.
J Adv Nurs. 2005 Dec;52(5):537-45.
PMID: 16268860 [PubMed
- indexed for MEDLINE]
AIM: The aim
of this paper is to identify and discuss the ethical considerations that have
confronted and challenged the research team when researchers facilitate
conversations using private electronic mail discussion lists. BACKGROUND:The use of electronic
mail group conversations, as a collaborative data generation method, remains
underdeveloped in nursing. Ethical challenges associated with this approach to
data generation have only begun to be considered. As receipt of ethics approval
for a study titled; 'Describing transition with people who live with chronic
illness' we have been challenged by many ethical dilemmas, hence we believe it
is timely to share the issues that have confronted the research team. These
discussions are essential so we can understand the possibilities for research
interaction, communication, and collaboration made possible by advanced
information technologies. DISCUSSION: Our experiences in this study have
increased our awareness for ongoing ethical discussions about privacy,
confidentiality, consent, accountability and openness underpinning research
with human participants when generating data using an electronic mail
discussion group. We describe how we work at upholding these ethical principles
focusing on informed consent, participant confidentiality and privacy, the
participants as threats to themselves and one another, public-private
confusion, employees with access, hackers and threats from the researchers.
CONCLUSION: A variety of complex issues arise during cyberspace research that
can make the application of traditional ethical standards troublesome.
Communication in cyberspace alters the temporal, spatial and sensory components
of human interaction, thereby challenging traditional ethical definitions and
calling to question some basic assumptions about identity and ones right to
keep aspects of it confidential. Nurse researchers are bound by human research
ethics protocols; however, the nature of research by electronic mail generates
moral issues as well as ethical concerns. Vigilance by researchers is required
to ensure that data are viewed within the scope of the enabling ethics approval
Walking
the line: ethical and legal issues in Internet research. Klemm P; Nursing Spectrum -- Philadelphia Tri -- State
Edition, 2000 Oct 30; 9 (22): 5 (journal article) CINAHL AN: 2001091939
NO ABSTRACT
Casting
the net: using the internet for survey research. By: Stewart,
Sarah. British Journal of Midwifery, Sep2003, Vol. 11 Issue 9, p543, 4p, 1c; (AN 10875230)
Discusses the use of internet
for survey research. Advantages of internet surveys; Disadvantages of internet surveys; technological issues associated with internet research; Construction, length and response rate of internet surveys; Methods of
recruitment; Survey protection and incentives; Ethical considerations. INSET: KEY POINTS.
Issues in data
generation using email group conversations for nursing research. (eng; includes abstract) By Kralik
D, Journal Of Advanced Nursing [J Adv Nurs], 2006 Jan; Vol. 53 (2), pp. 213-20; PMID: 16422720
AIM: The
purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the issues we have
confronted when generating and analysing dialogue
data by using electronic mail. BACKGROUND: The decision to use email for our research arose from our developing
understanding of some of the consequences of illness that people living with
chronic illness confront in their lives. As researchers, we recognized the
potential of the Internet for
computer-mediated communication using email for communication between
researchers and research
participants. DISCUSSION: We consider the functional aspects of generating data
by email, such as the software needed, and then explore the issues encountered
during the research process
including ethical considerations,
fluctuating participation, participants' familiarity with using email, facilitating
lurkers towards participation, establishing group norms, and the role of the
facilitator. CONCLUSION: As a collaborative inquiry, email conversation allowed
us to spend time with participants over 2 years to explore chronic illness
experience. However the scope and viability of computer-mediated communication
as a qualitative method of research
remains relatively unexplored, hence this paper.
Im, E. O., et. al., An Online Forum as a
Qualitative Research Method. Nursing Research (New York) v. 55 no. 4
(July/August 2006) p. 267-73
Issues
encountered in implementing an online forum as a qualitative component of a
larger study on cancer pain experience were examined. Issues ranging from minor
technical problems to serious ethical dilemmas were documented as they arose,
and relevant memos were written. Content analysis was then used to review and
analyze the memos and written records of the discussions. A high response and
retention rate and automatic transcripts were identified as being related to
credibility. Participants' forgetfulness was determined to be related to
dependability, and difficulties in theoretical saturation and unstandardized computer and Internet jargon were identified
as issues related to confirmability. Finally, a
security issue related to hacking attempts was identified.