Protecting Human Research Participants
The human research participants are one of the most vital aspects of research work. The researcher is tasked with the mandate to protect the identity of the respondents as per the ethical requirements. The protection of the research participants in the research work begins during the recruitment period where the informed consent of the participants must be obtained as early as possible to allow for adequate preparations. In some cases, the respondent may be unwilling to participate in the research while at the same time; the researcher must obtain the required information or the subject of research. In this case, the participant may fear the identity might be revealed to the public who should not get to know the source of the evidence. The respondent may fear retaliatory attacks on him or the family. The researcher must, therefore, quarantine full protection rights to the respondents to syphon the required information.
In a medical environment, the respondents always fear for the revelation of their health status which against the ethics of research works. Ethical standards for a study in a healthcare environment are essential since there is the need for an accurate result from the research work. This accuracy can only be achieved if the respondents agree in unanimously to participate in the research without fear and this agreement requires the researcher to guarantee full protection of the participants. Protection of human participants and the ethical requirements involves the adherence to codes and regulations of research work, the respect for persons, the upholding of justice as the researcher navigates the participants while considering the other ethical requirements. The respect for persons involves informed consent processes as well as the documentation of the informed consent. The beneficence requires the researcher to explain to the respondents the risks and benefits related to the research they are about to undertake. It also entails confidentiality and privacy terms and data and safety monitoring.