Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Int J Older People Nurs. 2023 Nov;18(6):e12572. doi: 10.1111/opn.12572. Epub 2023 Aug 26.
Fraudulent research participants create negative consequences for the rigour and soundness of research.
A case study is presented from a qualitative study where the research team believed several fraudulent participants fabricated information during an interview about being a caregiver for a person living with dementia and chronic wounds.
MATERIALS & METHODS: Participants were recruited through a free online research registry. Individual semi-structured interviews were held virtually.
The study was paused after the nurse scientist with qualitative methodology experience identified that participants were giving illogical and repetitive responses across interviews. The team developed a revised screening tool to help reduce fraudulent participants from enrolling in the study. None of the data collected were used for analysis.
Information is provided on how the team dealt with the situation, lessons learned for future studies, and recommendations for gerontological nurse researchers.
Researchers should be aware that some participants are misrepresenting themselves for financial incentives and this can compromise the soundness of findings. Thorough screening tools are one way to identify and prevent fraud.
虚假的研究参与者会对研究的严谨性和可靠性产生负面影响。
本文呈现了一项定性研究中的一个案例研究，研究团队认为几名虚假参与者在接受关于照顾患有痴呆症和慢性伤口的人的采访时捏造了信息。
参与者通过免费的在线研究注册系统招募。进行了单独的半结构化虚拟访谈。
在具有定性方法经验的护士科学家识别出参与者在多次访谈中给出不合逻辑和重复的回答后，研究暂停。团队开发了一个修订后的筛选工具，以帮助减少虚假参与者参与研究。没有收集任何数据用于分析。
提供了有关团队如何处理这种情况的信息、为未来研究吸取的教训以及对老年护理护士研究人员的建议。
研究人员应该意识到，一些参与者为了经济激励而夸大其词，这可能会影响研究结果的可靠性。彻底的筛选工具是识别和预防欺诈的一种方法。
