#ETHICAL PRINCIPLE FIDELITY TRIAL#

For example, in consenting to participate in a clinical trial of a new medicine, participants agree to take the new drug as instructed by the researchers. It is equally important to ensuring high quality research that researchers are able to trust that participants will do what is expected of them. Some might choose not to participate when they know the possible risks but those who decide to consent and to participate are more likely to remain in the research if they trust the researcher and are not surprised by the burden of participation. During the process of providing information, researchers should include all the information someone might need to make an informed decision about participating in the research. As noted in my previous blogs, no research is without risk so it is essential that potential research participants know what possible risks they might be exposing themselves to.

It is essential that researchers gain the trust of the participants in their research by being open and honest about possible risks and burdens. On agreeing to participate in a research project, participants are entrusting themselves to the researcher who has an obligation to protect each participant, as far as possible, from any harm as a result of participating in their research. Fidelity is the principle concerned with building trusting relationships between researchers and research participants. So far in this series of blogs I have written about beneficence and non-maleficence so this week I turn my attention to the third ethical principle – ‘fidelity’.

Fidelity: the third ethical principle Posted on by Leslie Gelling in Ethics, Fidelity, Recruitment and retention, Research, Research ethics

Ethical principle fidelity