Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model
Human subjects research protections have historically focused on mitigating risk of harm and promoting benefits for research participants. In many low-resource settings (LRS), complex and often severe challenges in daily living, poverty, geopolitical uprisings, sociopolitical, economic, and climate...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Children |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/3/463 |
| _version_ | 1797612695278583808 |
|---|---|
| author | Krystle M. Perez Muhammad Asim Elliott M. Weiss Gregory C. Valentine Avinash Kavi Manjunath S. Somannavar Ibezimako Iwuh Chikondi Chiweza Kirkby D. Tickell Benson O. Singa Kristin Beima-Sofie Maneesh Batra Judd L. Walson Rachel Umoren Maureen Kelley Sarah Saleem |
| author_facet | Krystle M. Perez Muhammad Asim Elliott M. Weiss Gregory C. Valentine Avinash Kavi Manjunath S. Somannavar Ibezimako Iwuh Chikondi Chiweza Kirkby D. Tickell Benson O. Singa Kristin Beima-Sofie Maneesh Batra Judd L. Walson Rachel Umoren Maureen Kelley Sarah Saleem |
| author_sort | Krystle M. Perez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human subjects research protections have historically focused on mitigating risk of harm and promoting benefits for research participants. In many low-resource settings (LRS), complex and often severe challenges in daily living, poverty, geopolitical uprisings, sociopolitical, economic, and climate crises increase the burdens of even minimal risk research. While there has been important work to explore the scope of ethical responsibilities of researchers and research teams to respond to these wider challenges and hidden burdens in global health research, less attention has been given to the ethical dilemmas and risk experienced by frontline researcher staff as they perform research-related activities in LRS. Risks such as job insecurity, moral distress, infection, or physical harm can be exacerbated during public health crises, as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the layers of risk research staff face in LRS and present a conceptual model to characterize drivers of this risk, with particular attention to public health crises. A framework by which funders, institutions, principal investigators, and/or research team leaders can systematically consider these additional layers of risk to researchers and frontline staff is an important and needed addition to routine research proposals and protocol review. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:44:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4f64747981a04dfaacb641efa5c5b6c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:44:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-4f64747981a04dfaacb641efa5c5b6c52023-11-17T10:20:37ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-02-0110346310.3390/children10030463Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual ModelKrystle M. Perez0Muhammad Asim1Elliott M. Weiss2Gregory C. Valentine3Avinash Kavi4Manjunath S. Somannavar5Ibezimako Iwuh6Chikondi Chiweza7Kirkby D. Tickell8Benson O. Singa9Kristin Beima-Sofie10Maneesh Batra11Judd L. Walson12Rachel Umoren13Maureen Kelley14Sarah Saleem15Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, PakistanDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAKLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi 590010, IndiaKLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi 590010, IndiaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USADepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USADepartment of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USACenter for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USADepartment of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, PakistanHuman subjects research protections have historically focused on mitigating risk of harm and promoting benefits for research participants. In many low-resource settings (LRS), complex and often severe challenges in daily living, poverty, geopolitical uprisings, sociopolitical, economic, and climate crises increase the burdens of even minimal risk research. While there has been important work to explore the scope of ethical responsibilities of researchers and research teams to respond to these wider challenges and hidden burdens in global health research, less attention has been given to the ethical dilemmas and risk experienced by frontline researcher staff as they perform research-related activities in LRS. Risks such as job insecurity, moral distress, infection, or physical harm can be exacerbated during public health crises, as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the layers of risk research staff face in LRS and present a conceptual model to characterize drivers of this risk, with particular attention to public health crises. A framework by which funders, institutions, principal investigators, and/or research team leaders can systematically consider these additional layers of risk to researchers and frontline staff is an important and needed addition to routine research proposals and protocol review.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/3/463global health ethicsrisks to researcherspublic health crises |
| spellingShingle | Krystle M. Perez Muhammad Asim Elliott M. Weiss Gregory C. Valentine Avinash Kavi Manjunath S. Somannavar Ibezimako Iwuh Chikondi Chiweza Kirkby D. Tickell Benson O. Singa Kristin Beima-Sofie Maneesh Batra Judd L. Walson Rachel Umoren Maureen Kelley Sarah Saleem Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model Children global health ethics risks to researchers public health crises |
| title | Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model |
| title_full | Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model |
| title_fullStr | Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model |
| title_short | Considering Risks to Researchers and Staff in Low-Resource Settings during Public Health Crises: A Proposed Conceptual Model |
| title_sort | considering risks to researchers and staff in low resource settings during public health crises a proposed conceptual model |
| topic | global health ethics risks to researchers public health crises |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/3/463 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT krystlemperez consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT muhammadasim consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT elliottmweiss consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT gregorycvalentine consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT avinashkavi consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT manjunathssomannavar consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT ibezimakoiwuh consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT chikondichiweza consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT kirkbydtickell consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT bensonosinga consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT kristinbeimasofie consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT maneeshbatra consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT juddlwalson consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT rachelumoren consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT maureenkelley consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel AT sarahsaleem consideringriskstoresearchersandstaffinlowresourcesettingsduringpublichealthcrisesaproposedconceptualmodel |