The Ethics of Role Conflict in Research

Abstract

While engaged in interviewing stroke patients, nurses found their research responsibilities conflicting with traditional patient care values. At the termination of the pilot project, the nurses, doubting their role, shared their concerns with the research team. They made recommendations regarding the appropriateness of tools and training needs of research assistants. Unresolved role conflict motivated the nurses to review the literature, seeking answers to the issue. Other nurses have experienced this same conflict. While nursing has been referred to as a profession that complements art with science, in practice, altruism may conflict with maintaining research integrity. The nurse, when functioning as a researcher, may find situations where a choice needs to be made whether to implement nursing interventions or continue the research protocol. The difficulty remains in deciding when the patient advocate role takes precedence over other legitimate concerns. Even though the ANA Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements requires that the nurse participate in research to advance the profession's body of knowledge, the code's primary principle mandates respect for the rights of the individuals the nurse serves. Research need not be undertaken at the expense of human dignity. If conflicts develop, nursing's primary responsibility is to the individual. Concern for the individual always takes precedence over maintaining research integrity. Nurses are "advocates, where trust, compassion, and empathy encompass all our nursing endeavors, including research" (p. 161). While striving to achieve research goals, nurses must not lose sight of the traditional values inherent in nursing.