Protecting Vulnerable Research Participants, Essay Example

Introduction

All nurses must exercise ethical judgment and behaviors in order to protect human subjects in all phases of research. This process requires through knowledge and input in order to achieve the intended outcomes for participants. These studies must optimize the use of comprehensive human subject principles in order to protect all subjects from unnecessary risk or harm that could lead to serious complications for patients.

Body

When working with vulnerable populations, it is important to identify the potential risks in managing study participants and in supporting their needs above all else so that they are protected from risks as best as possible (Tsan & Tsan, 2015). Most importantly, patient lives should not be unnecessarily compromised under any circumstances, informed consent must be provided, and all possible risks must be identified in order to promote safe and effective study results (Tsan & Tsan, 2015). There is always a risk associated with the use of vulnerable populations; therefore, it is important to identify methods to protect patients and enable them to participate to support the intended objectives (Juritzen, Grime, & Heggen, 2011). When risks are encountered, it is necessary to address possible changes that may be necessary to support patients to reduce their level of risk and to avoid compromising their health at all costs.

Conclusion

The role of DNPs in the protection of human subjects and vulnerable populations is of critical importance; therefore, patients must be provided with a safe and effective environment in which to receive care and treatment that will have a positive impact on their health. In addition, this process must reflect the importance of addressing the needs of the research study in conjunction with primary safety measures to ensure that patients receive the best possible care and treatment throughout the study.

References

Juritzen, T. I., Grimen, H., & Heggen, K. (2011). Protecting vulnerable research participants: A Foucault-inspired analysis of ethics committees. Nursing Ethics, 18(5), 640-650.

Tsan, M. F., & Tsan, L. W. (2015). Assessing the quality of human research protection programs to improve protection of human subjects participating in clinical trials. Clinical Trials, 1740774514568688.