Research Involving Health Providers and Managers

Ethical Issues Faced by Researchers Conducting Diverse Health Policy and Systems Research in Kenya

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19517053
AutoresSassy Molyneux (0000-0001-9522-416X, Kenya Medical Research Institute, autor de correspondencia), Benjamin Tsofa (0000-0003-1000-1771, Kenya Medical Research Institute), Edwine Barasa (0000-0001-5793-7177, Kenya Medical Research Institute), Mary Nyikuri (0000-0002-3338-7526, Kenya Medical Research Institute), Mary Muyoka Nyikuri, Evelyn Waweru (0000-0002-4599-8973, Kenya Medical Research Institute), Evelyn Wanjiku Waweru, Carl Goodman (0000-0002-2241-3485, Kenya Medical Research Institute), Catherine Goodman, Lucy Gilson (0000-0002-2775-7703, Kenya Medical Research Institute)
Año2016
Volumen16
Número3
Páginas168-177
Fecha de publicación2016-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDeveloping World Bioethics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1471-8731 • E-ISSN: 1471-8847
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/dewb.12130
PMID27699954
OpenAlexW2528548268
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas14
Referencias citadas5

There is a growing interest in the ethics of Health Policy and Systems Research ( HPSR ), and especially in areas that have particular ethical salience across HPSR . Hyder et al (2014) provide an initial framework to consider this, and call for more conceptual and empirical work. In this paper, we respond by examining the ethical issues that arose for researchers over the course of conducting three HPSR studies in Kenya in which health managers and providers were key participants. All three studies involved qualitative work including observations and individual and group interviews. Many of the ethical dilemmas researchers faced only emerged over the course of the fieldwork, or on completion, and were related to interactions and relationships between individuals operating at different levels or positions in health/research systems. The dilemmas reveal significant ethical challenges for these forms of HPSR , and show that potential ‘solutions’ to dilemmas often lead to new issues and complications. Our experiences support the value of research ethics frameworks, and suggest that these can be enriched by incorporating careful consideration of context embedded social relations into research planning and conduct. Many of these essential relational elements of ethical practice, and of producing quality data, are given stronger emphasis in social science research ethics than in epidemiological, clinical or biomedical research ethics, and are particularly relevant where health systems are understood as social and political constructs. We conclude with practical and research implications

Engineering ethics · Health care · Health services research · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Research ethics · Social science · Sociology · Ethics in Clinical Research · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Law · Psychology