Videorecording in clinical research: mapping the ethical terrain
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Non-restraining EEG Radiotelemetry: Epidural and Deep Intracerebral Stereotaxic EEG Electrode Placement
Published on: June 25, 2016
Lauren M Broyles1, Judith A Tate, Mary Beth Happ
1School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, 314 Victoria Building, 3500 Victoria Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. lmb18@pitt.edu
Background:
Videography is used increasingly for data collection in clinical research; however, addressing related ethical issues and obtaining institutional review board approval to use videography are often significant and daunting challenges for investigators. Guidelines and specific strategies are extremely limited in the literature. To protect the interests of videorecorded patient and clinician research participants, several ethical issues deserve thoughtful consideration and planning: informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, and participant burden and safety.
Approach:
The Study of Patient-Nurse Effectiveness with Assisted Communication Strategies is used to illustrate how these ethical issues can be managed in a clinical trial. Excerpts from informed consent documents are included, and special attention is given to the critical care environment, vulnerable patient populations, and clinicians as participants.
Results:
Ethical issues related to the use of videography for patient-oriented research in the acute care hospital setting are clarified, and specific examples of how these issues can be addressed are provided.
Discussion:
Ethical issues related to using videorecording in acute care research can be adequately addressed through existing universal human subjects protection strategies when the precise nature of the ethical issues is defined clearly.
Related Concept Videos
Ethics in Research
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethics and Bioethics
Ethical Dilemmas II
Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
Ethical Standards II
Nurses are entrusted with upholding various ethical principles and standards. Nurses forge solid therapeutic relationships using trust, empathy, autonomy, confidentiality, and professional competence.
Confidentiality is crucial, embodying respect for individual privacy and...

