PubMed · 11649261
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Alexander J Tymchuk. 1986. Guidelines for ethical decision making.. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0079866
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AIM: This paper reports a small-scale study, undertaken as part of a higher degree, which aims to explore the information-seeking behaviour of a group of lecturers, based on one site, delivering a nursing and midwifery curriculum in the School of Health Studies of a higher education institution. METHODOLOGY: Checkland's [System thinking, System practice, Wiley, Chichester, 1981] soft systems methodology (SSM) was used as a theoretical model both to derive deeper insights into the survey data and suggest enhancements to this aspect of teacher activity. To obtain statistical data a survey design was employed, research methods including postal questionnaires complemented by selected interviews and a small amount of informal observation. RESULTS: Findings showed that, in order to access information, lecturers were most likely to access the School libraries, the Internet, advice from colleagues and their personal collections. Refereed journals were the top-ranked information resource with professional studies and research cited as the most sought after topics. Lecturers mentioned the role of library staff as integral to the information-seeking process. Main problems included their variable literature searching skills and time pressures. The methodology identified several features related to the information-seeking behaviour of lecturers that has resulted in an improved training programme for lecturers and prompted enhancements to the School's current awareness service and Library Intranet pages. CONCLUSIONS: The use of SSM for this study allowed the analysis of a broad and complex situation which enabled key changes to the information-seeking behaviour of lecturers to be implemented.
Surveys and routine clinical procedures applied in research protocols are typically considered only minimally risky to participants. The apparent benign nature of "minimal risk" tasks increases the chance that investigators and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) will overlook the probability that clinical tools will identify signs, symptoms, or definitive test results that are clinically-relevant to subjects' welfare. "Minimal risk" procedures may also pose a particular hazard to participants in clinical research by increasing the therapeutic misconception because the tasks mimic clinical care and are often conducted in clinical settings. Investigators should anticipate which measures could yield clinically-important findings and should describe explicit plans for data monitoring, disclosure, and follow-up. Protocols that include reliable and valid clinical measures should prompt a more detailed risk assessment by the IRB, even when the tasks meet the regulatory criteria for minimal physical, psychological, or emotional risk.