Fitting a square peg in a round hole? A mixed-methods study on research ethics and collaborative health and social care research involving 'vulnerable' groups.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Current research ethics frameworks that oversee health and social care research, in the United Kingdom and internationally, originated in biomedical research, having positivist underpinnings and an orientation towards experimental research. Limitations of these frameworks have been extensively documented including with regard to health and social care research that adopts collaborative approaches. This article contributes to debates about how the research ethics system deals with collaborative research with groups labelled or potentially perceived as vulnerable, and identifies practical recommendations to ensure a better fit between principles and practices of research ethics and those of collaborative research.

Methods

We conducted a two-round online Delphi study

SUBMITTER: De Poli C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11963353 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature