I still stick with my assumptions about nurses and ethical conduct. Nurses take an oath saying that they will devote care to their patients and do no harm. This is in line with the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence. Nurses do everything in their power to serve their patients and do right by them. I think that knowing the history of research ethics can help one better understand the reasoning for it. Knowing what has occurred in the past, like in the Tuskegee studies, can help with understanding the basis of research ethics. It is important to review studies and understand the possible benefits and drawbacks to maximize understanding and minimize harm. It is important that there will never be a repeat of anything similar to the Tuskegee studies and that is why there are principles in place to monitor research studies.
I believe upon the completion of this course I better understand ethical conduct in research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice. I feel as though I would be able to partake in these studies or use previous studies as research to better patient care and outcomes. I can take my knowledge from other nursing courses and my evidence-based research knowledge from this class and evaluate current practices. I can gather information on practices being utilized in my current institution and in others. I can then review data and possibly suggest doing further research to enhance or better practices that are currently the standard. I realize that I do not have the most experience with quality improvement and evidence-based practice, but I know the basics that will allow me to seek help and start a project.
