Pines City Colleges

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Magsaysay Ave. Baguio City 2600
College of Nursing

Nurses as Members of the Research Team

I. Ethics in Research
- Nursing Research which lies within the domain of social science is critical for
the development of nursing knowledge as to examining the human condition in
relation to health and illness. They too are governed by all ethical principles
encompassed within biomedical research.
- Federal regulations direct that, before initiation, all research proposals must be
approved by a formally constituted and qualified institutional review board (IRB)
to ensure participant protection and the ethical integrity of the research.
Role: Nurses who are asked to assist in a research study or engage in research
activities in any capacity must take care to ensure that research is soundly constructed,
significant, worthwhile, and in conformity with ethical standards.
Nurses also should be fully informed about the qualifications of the principal
investigator, the rights and obligations of all those involved in the study, and the ethical
conduct of research in general.
Morality vs Ethics
Morality: traditions and beliefs about right and wrong conduct and is influenced
by social and cultural practices
: is what a person believes to be right and wrong and is shaped by what a
person has been taught within society and her or his own culture.
Ethics: the study of social morality
: how a person makes judgements between right and wrong
Importance of Ethics in Nursing Research
-Protect the vulnerable group and other study participants from harmful effects of
the experimental interventions
-Participants are safeguarded from exploitation researches
-Establish risk-benefit ratio for the study subjects
-Ensure the fullest respect, dignity, privacy, disclosure of information and fair
treatment for study subjects
-Build the capability of subjects to accept or reject participation in study and to
have access to informed consent for participation in research
6 BASIC PRINCIPLES CODE OF ETHICS (American nurses association (ANA),
2015)
1. Autonomy: Ability to make careful choices
- As patient advocates, it is imperative that nurses ensure that patients receive all
medical information, education, and options in order to choose the option that is best for
them. This includes all potential risks, benefits, and complications to make well-
informed decisions. right of patients to make decisions on their own behalf. Nurses
must allow patients to make decisions without judgment or coercion
2. Beneficence: Do good; Maximizing benefits while minimizing risk
- Acting for the good and welfare of others and including such attributes as kindness
and charity.
-Establishing the positive risk benefit ratio where the risk of the research does not
outweigh the benefits for people
3. Nonmaleficence: Do not do harm
-it is selecting interventions and care that will cause the least amount of harm to
achieve a beneficial outcome
4. Veracity: being completely truthful
-requires that healthcare providers be honest in their interactions with patients.
Traditional ethics holds that it is simply wrong morally to lie to people, even if it is
expedient to do so, even if a better outcome will come from the lie.
5. Justice: fair treatment;
-Ethical obligation to treat each person in accordance with what is morally right and
proper, to give each person what is due to him or her
6. Fidelity: Keeping one’s promise
- Nurses promise to provide competent care to patients and to do so in a way that is
honest, responsible and fair.

5 Principles of research ethics

- five ethical principles and their practical implications when carrying out dissertation
research.
1. Minimizing the risk of harm
- Where there is the possibility that participants could be harmed or put in a position of
discomfort, there must be strong justifications for this.
- Such scenarios will also require:
(a) additional planning to illustrate how participant harm (or discomfort) will be reduced,
(b) informed consent, and
(c) detailed debriefing.
Examples of harm
 Physical harm to participants.
 Psychological distress and discomfort.
 Social disadvantage.
  Harm to participants? financial status.
 An invasion of participants? privacy and anonymity.
Typically, it is not harm that we need to think about since a researcher does not
intentionally go out to cause harm. Rather, it is the risk of harm that you should try to
minimize. In order to minimizing the risk of harm you should think about:
This should be done:
2. Obtaining informed consent from participants.
-An individual always has the freedom of choice to participate or not participate
hence an individual may withdraw from the study anytime. However, this
informed consent should be valid and may include the following components
such as
a. language is simple enough to be understood
b. The potential subject adequately comprehends the project
c. the subject has had time to think about the study and its potential risks and
benefits and to discuss it with the family members
d. the consent is not coerced
e. The written consent is documented
f. understand that they are taking part in research and what the research
requires of them. Such information may include the purpose of the research, the
methods being used, the possible outcomes of the research, as well as
associated demands, discomforts, inconveniences and risks that the participants
may face.
3. Protecting anonymity and confidentiality
- Remove identifiers (e.g., vernacular terms, names, geographical cues, etc.) or provide
proxies when writing up. However, such a stripping of identifiable information may not
always be possible to anticipate at the outset of your dissertation when thinking about
issues of research ethics. This is not only a consideration for dissertations following a
qualitative research design, but also a quantitative research design
- To seek permission for access to data and analysis to be restricted to the published
material, perhaps only allowing it to be viewed by those individuals marking your work. If
the work is later published, adjustments would then need to be made to protect the
confidentiality of participants.
4. Avoiding deceptive practices
- deceptive practices fly in the face of informed consent
- Covert Research where the identity of the observer and/or the purpose of the research
is not known to participants. This cases such as research which involves observation,
rather than direct contact with participants, especially in a public or online setting
- think about the extent to which this could be beneficial in your dissertation, not
research in general; that is, everything from the research paradigm that guides your
dissertation through to the data analysis techniques you choose affect issues of
research ethics in your dissertation
5. Providing the right to withdraw
- research participants should always have the right to withdraw from the research
process
- Participants should have the right to withdraw at any stage in the research process.
When a participant chooses to withdraw from the research process, they should not be
pressured or coerced in any way to try and stop them from withdrawing.

The vulnerable subjects such as children, pregnant women, mentally ill patients,
physically disabled, terminally ill patients and institutionalized (prisoner) people,
who are conveniently and easily accessible must be protected from overuse and
undue use for research purpose.

II. Continuing professional development (CPD)

Definition:
 Continuing professional development (CPD) is the process in which health professionals maintain
relevant skills and competencies throughout their professional careers.

Importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Nursing

 Providing the best level of care to the patients is of the utmost importance and that means staying
up to date on training.
 Maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills you need to deliver to your patient
 For the employers to assess their employees skillset to see if you require any additional support in
certain procedures.
 Professional development helps to continue making meaningful and efficient contributions to
your team.

Process:
Example includes but are not limited to:

 Attending a CPD seminar or workshop

 Attending a conference
 Watching a video learning activity online
 Listening to nursing lectures
 Online CPD for nurses or midwives in general
 Writing or reviewing educational materials, nursing articles, journal articles or books
 Completing a self-directed learning package
 Presenting at an insservice, workshop or developing educational tools
 Undertaking postgraduate course units which are of relevance to your context of practice
 Acting as a preceptor, mentor or tutor
 Reflecting on feedback, keeping a practice journal
 Participating in clinical audits, critical incident monitoring, case reviews or clinical meetings
 Participating in a professional reading and discussion group
 Developing policy, protocols and guidelines
 Working with a mentor to improve practice

III. ICU/CCU Training

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

It can be defined as a “service for patients with potentially recoverable diseases who can be
benefit from more detailed observation and treatment than is generally available in standard wards and
departments”. The intensive care unit is a designated area of a hospital facility that is dedicated to the care
of patients who are seriously ill.

The main functions of any ICU is to provide optimum life support & Provide adequate
monitoring of vital functions.

DIFFERENT UNITS

There are variety of names depends on specific purpose and the degree of dependency of the
patient. Many different hospitals have many different terms. Frequently seen are:

 MICU = Medical ICU

 SICU = Surgical ICU
 TICU = Trauma ICU or Transplant ICU
 NICU = Neuro ICU or Neonatal ICU
 PICU = Pediatric ICU
 CVICU = Cardiovascular ICU
 CCU = Coronary Care Unit
 CICU = Cardiac ICU
 BICU = Burn ICU
 RCU = Renal care unit

What is an ICU Nurse?

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses work in a complex and challenging field in the nursing
profession. These nurses provide life-saving care to patients that are extremely sick and often fighting for
their lives. Nurses in this field are at the top of their game and take care of patients that require 24/7
nursing care.

Patients in the ICU are often intubated, ventilated, and on multiple live saving medications. ICU
nurses are well versed in all aspects of care to restore wellness. ICU nurses will work with a variety of
adult patients from diverse backgrounds. The specific population will depend on the area of employment.
 ICU nurses are highly trained Registered Nurses that work with patients who have life-
threatening illnesses or conditions. They provide specialized experience, knowledge, and skills that
patients need in order to survive or de-escalate care. Their patients receive intense interventions and
require complex care.

ICU nurses are often paid higher than other nurses within a healthcare system because of their
specialized training.

How Do You Become an ICU Nurse?

Step 1: Become a Registered Nurse

To become an ICU nurse, you must first become a registered nurse (RN). You can either graduate
with a BSN or an ADN from an accredited nursing program. You’ll then need to pass the NCLEX
examination

Step 2: Gain Experience

In order to continue down the path of becoming an ICU nurse, you’ll need to gain at least 2 years
of nursing experience in a position that specializes in intensive care nursing

Step 3: Obtain ICU Certification

The most popular certification for ICU nurses is the Certification for Adult Critical Care Nurses
(CCRN) awarded by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

What are the Continuing Education Requirements for an ICU Nurse?

ICU nurses have the same continuing education requirements as other RNs. This will vary on a
state by state basis. There are no specific CEU requirements for ICU unless they have obtained advanced
certification such as the CCRN.

Generally, in order for an individual to renew their RN license, they will need to fill out an
application, complete a specific number of CEU hours, and pay a nominal fee. Each state has specific
requirements and it is important to check with the board of nursing prior to applying for license renewal.

What Do ICU Nurses Do?

ICU nurses perform a variety of tasks and have numerous job responsibilities. These will vary depending
on the healthcare system but generally, ICU nurses perform the following specific duties:

 Collaborate with health care professions to provide holistic care to patients.

 Educate patients and their families on diagnosis, medications, and other information
 Cleaning and bandaging patient wounds
 Tracking life support equipment
 Immediately responding to changes in the patient’s condition.
 Evaluating vital signs such
 Administering medications
 Acting as a patient’s advocate
 Provide comfort and prevent suffering
 Infusing blood products and monitoring patients for reaction
 Caring for the patient’s body immediately after death
 Identifying patient’s needs according to their age and level of consciousness and creating a care
plan to meet them
 Complete paperwork prior to transferring or discharging a patient
 Respond to medical emergencies on the unit
 Supporting a compassionate and therapeutic environment for critically ill patients

Where Do ICU Nurses Work?

 ICU Nurses are generally limited in where they can work because of their highly specialized
training. The on-the-job training for ICU nurses makes them highly sought after for a variety of
nursing positions; however, ICU nursing is very limited in their job location opportunities. ICU
nurses can work in the following areas:

 Hospitals
 Cardiac Catheter Labs
 Surgical Departments
 Progressive Care Units
 Outpatient Surgery Center
 Post-operative Care Units

Reference:

https://www.ausmed.com/guide-to-cpd

https://nurse.org/resources/intensive-care-unit-nurse-career-guide/

References:
https://dissertation.laerd.com/principles-of-research-ethics.php
http://samples.jblearning.com/9781284149791/9781284168167_CH05_Marketing_Sam
ple.pdf
https://nurse.org/education/nursing-code-of-ethics/