Ethical Challenges of Research in the Intensive Care Unit

Faizeh Khajeh  Mirzaei; Narges  Arslani; Leila Rafiei  Vardanjani; Soheila  Zabalipour; Tahereh  Gilvari; Masoud Fallahi  Khoshknab

doi:10.18502/ssu.v34i2.21588

Faizeh Khajeh Mirzaei University of Rehabilitation and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.
Narges Arslani Department of Nursing, University of Rehabilitation Sciences and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.
Leila Rafiei Vardanjani University of Rehabilitation and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.
Soheila Zabalipour University of Rehabilitation and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.
Tahereh Gilvari University of Rehabilitation and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.
Masoud Fallahi Khoshknab Department of Nursing, University of Rehabilitation Sciences and Social Health, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ssu.v34i2.21588

Keywords: Ethical Challenge, Moral Distress, Ethics in Research, Intensive Care Unit.

Abstract

Introduction: Ethics in research represents a critical dimension of professional ethics. In critical environments like the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the critical nature of patients and environmental tensions exacerbate the ethical challenges of research (such as moral conflict and distress), demanding strict adherence to principles. This review study was conducted to investigate the ethical challenges of research in intensive care nursing.

Methods: This study was conducted as a systematic review. Persian-language articles were searched using the keywords such as ethics in research, moral distress, ethical conflict, moral challenge, moral sensitivity, and intensive care unit along with their equivalents in national databases, including MagIran, SID, and Civilica. In addition, international databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar were searched using keywords including ethics in research, moral challenge, moral sensitivity, moral distress, ethical decision making, and ethical dilemma.

Results: The results of research challenges in the special care department showed 3 main general categories (human dignity, implementation process, individual characteristics of the researcher). Challenges related to human dignity included 2 sub-categories (obtaining moral satisfaction, independence in decision-making), challenges related to the implementation process from 2 sub-categories (contradiction with the principle of usefulness, challenges of lack of samples), and challenges related to researcher characteristics from 2 sub-categories (challenges related to the researcher's spirit, time-consuming research process).

Conclusion: Considering the ethical challenges present in intensive care settings, these issues can be mitigated through adherence to guidelines provided by bioethics committees, as well as by holding training workshops and increasing researchers' awareness of ethical principles.