ethics approval, ethics oversight, student research, survey research, adolescents, Indigenous populations
Although research methods are an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum in many Asian countries, research ethics is often not included.1,2 Scarcity of resources and lack of institutional awareness and support can impede the development of comprehensive research ethics curricula in medical institutions.3 Ideally, research ethics should be introduced and integrated as early as possible in undergraduate medical training and continued throughout the training experience.4 However, in medical institutions in Asia, modifying curricula is a very lengthy process, requiring many reviews and often taking years.
A student from a Southeast Asian university conducted a research project on alcohol and drug use behavior among adolescents from urban Indigenous populations. Undergraduate medical students are encouraged to conduct research and are generally expected to obtain ethics approval for research projects from the institution’s research ethics committee (REC), but they tend to be minimally trained in research ethics. The student did not plan to publish the research findings and did not want to take the time to apply for approval from the REC. While conducting this research, the student distributed surveys to eligible study participants without obtaining their informed consent and later presented the findings to classmates and the course instructor only.
Another student who recently graduated from the same university enrolled in a postgraduate research ethics program. This student identified the research ethics gap in the undergraduate curriculum and decided to offer ethics awareness webinars to students there. The webinars introduced basic principles of research ethics, including respect for persons, beneficence, justice, informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, and the importance of obtaining REC approval before conducting research.
Questions
The first student did not intend to publish the research findings and did not seek REC approval or obtain informed consent from participants. Should the student’s project have undergone REC review? Why or why not? What are some pros and cons of requiring that all student data collection activities undergo REC review? Should the student have been required to obtain informed consent from survey respondents? Why or why not?
Should research ethics training be required for all students who are expected to conduct research? If so, what should be addressed specifically in training curricula for student researchers?
What are the roles of institutions, faculty members, and RECs in ensuring that all research involving human subjects conducted by students follow ethical principles and guidelines? What institutional mechanisms can be supportive of this goal?
Is it necessary to include research ethics as a part of an undergraduate syllabus? What other methods could be used to promote awareness about research ethics among students, and how could these institutional approaches be sustained over time?
