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Maintaining client safety and scientific integrity in research with battered women
1Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Nursing, Portland. lutzk@ohsu.edu
Purpose:
To increase awareness of considerations of privacy and safety as well as the potential for scientific misconduct in research with battered women and other groups especially vulnerable to these concerns. Research with such vulnerable populations demands consideration of privacy and safety of participants in order to limit any potentially negative consequences while also ensuring scientific integrity.
Organizing Framework:
Maintaining scientific integrity and protecting vulnerable groups are important but potentially contradictory. Battered women are the examples to illustrate instances of conflict in which protecting participants may undermine scientific integrity.
Sources:
Literature on scientific integrity and misconduct, battered women, and vulnerable populations, and socially sensitive topics from nursing, other biomedical and social sciences, and the U.S. Public Health Service, 1978-1998.
Method:
Integrative literature review.
Findings:
Conducting research with battered women in an ethically responsible manner that maintains scientific integrity without compromising advocacy or safety is possible when scientists are aware of potential conflicts and methods to ensure integrity.
Conclusions:
Nurses frequently do research with vulnerable groups such as battered women. Being proactive can help promote scientific integrity, avoid scientific misconduct, and decrease negative outcomes.