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Related Experiment Videos

Equipoise in clinical nursing research.

Lynn McCleary1

  • 1Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research = Revue Canadienne De Recherche En Sciences Infirmieres
|November 12, 2002
PubMed
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Equipoise, essential for ethical clinical research, presents challenges in psychosocial interventions. Achieving this balance is complex for nurses, researchers, and participants in mental health trials.

Area of Science:

  • Nursing Research Ethics
  • Clinical Trial Design
  • Mental Health Interventions

Background:

  • Equipoise, a state of genuine uncertainty about treatment efficacy, is a cornerstone of ethical clinical research.
  • The concept and application of equipoise in nursing research, particularly in mental health, require further examination.
  • Existing literature has not sufficiently addressed equipoise from the perspective of nurse authors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the concept of equipoise in the context of clinical nursing research.
  • To explore the challenges of achieving equipoise in trials involving psychosocial interventions in mental health.
  • To analyze potential conflicts arising from equipoise requirements for nurses conducting clinical trials.

Main Methods:

  • The paper draws on the author's experience with three trials of psychosocial interventions in mental health.

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  • Arguments for and against the use of equipoise in evaluating research ethics are summarized.
  • Case examples are utilized to illustrate discrepancies in equipoise status among stakeholders.

    • Main Results:

    • Achieving equipoise may be particularly difficult in trials of psychosocial treatments with multiple outcomes for patients and relatives.
    • The requirement for equipoise can create ethical conflicts for nurses providing psychosocial treatments, balancing client best interests with randomization.
    • Discrepancies in the equipoise status of researchers, clinicians, and participants can impede methodologically sound and ethical research.

    Conclusions:

    • Equipoise presents unique challenges in psychosocial intervention research within mental health nursing.
    • Addressing the equipoise status of all involved parties is crucial for ethical and methodologically robust clinical nursing research.
    • Further discussion is needed on adapting the concept of equipoise to complex psychosocial intervention trials.