The W Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia, 235-6356 Agricultural Rd, Klinck Building, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Phys Ther. 2010 Apr;90(4):615-28. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20080388. Epub 2010 Mar 4.
Increasing challenges to health care systems and the prominence of patient-centered care and evidence-based practice have fostered the application of qualitative approaches in health care settings, prompting discussions of associated ethical issues in a range of disciplines.
The purposes of this work were to identify and describe the application and value of qualitative health research for physical therapy and to identify ethical considerations in a qualitative research study.
This was a qualitative interview study with telephone follow-ups.
Forty-six participants were interviewed about their early experiences with rheumatoid arthritis. They also were asked what motivated them to volunteer for the study. To inform the discussion of ethics in qualitative health research, this study drew on the in-depth interviews, took a descriptive approach to the data, and applied the traditional ethical principles of autonomy, justice, and beneficence to the study process.
Ethical issues emerged in this qualitative health research study that were both similar to and different from those that exist in a positivist paradigm (eg, clinical research). With flexibility and latitude, the traditional principle approach can be applied usefully to qualitative health research.
These findings build on previous research and discussion in physical therapy and other disciplines that urge a flexible approach to qualitative research ethics and recognize that ethics are embedded in an unfolding research process involving the role of the subjective researcher and an active participant. We suggest reflexivity as a way to recognize ethical moments throughout qualitative research and to help build methodological and ethical rigor in research relevant to physical therapist practice.
医疗保健系统面临的挑战日益增多，以患者为中心的护理和循证实践也日益受到重视，这促使人们在医疗保健环境中应用定性方法，并在多个学科领域讨论与之相关的伦理问题。
本研究旨在确定并描述定性健康研究在物理治疗中的应用和价值，并确定定性研究中的伦理考虑因素。
这是一项采用电话随访的定性访谈研究。
46 名参与者接受了有关他们早期类风湿关节炎经历的访谈，还被问到是什么促使他们自愿参加这项研究。为了讨论定性健康研究中的伦理问题，本研究借鉴了深入访谈，对数据采用描述性方法，并将自主性、公正性和有利性等传统伦理原则应用于研究过程。
在这项定性健康研究中出现了一些伦理问题，这些问题与实证主义范式（如临床研究）中的伦理问题既有相似之处，也有不同之处。通过灵活性和自由度，传统的原则方法可以在定性健康研究中得到有益的应用。
这些发现建立在物理治疗和其他学科之前的研究和讨论基础上，呼吁对定性研究伦理采取灵活的方法，并认识到伦理问题是嵌入在涉及主观研究人员和积极参与者的研究过程中的。我们建议反思是一种在定性研究中识别伦理时刻的方法，并有助于在与物理治疗师实践相关的研究中建立方法学和伦理严谨性。
