Incentives in research: ethical issues.

The participation of some subjects in research may be association with their receiving some compensation for their time and effort. Is the use of monetary or other nonmonetary incentives ethical? Do incentives make a study so enticing that it is difficult to resist being a participant? The authors discuss some relevant ethical questions that a researcher needs to address when providing stipends to study subjects. Additionally, there is a discussion of implications for nurses such as acquiring knowledge of research and ethics, creating an environment in which the patient's questions and any issues can be discussed, advocating for the patient who is being asked to participate, and the nurse's responsibilities when asked to help with recruitment efforts.