Clinical research ethics

Clinical research plays an important role for building up knowledge and evidence base for nursing practices. It is important to maintain the accuracy of clinical research findings. Humans are the common interest in clinical research; it includes vulnerable groups like children, elderly and pregnant women. However, almost all research involving human beings is intrusive, as participants' information and feelings, which might otherwise be entirely personal, need to be published in research report. Thus, ethics are essential in clinical research to protect participants and to ensure the veracity of the research findings. Principles of research ethics provide a framework for researchers to maintain a common standard of clinical research conduct.