Research Ethics: a Brief History

I'm so, so sorry about this.

Giving appropriate and thorough consideration to the ethical implications of your research is now an essential part of the process of developing projects and applying for grants.

However, how did we get here? How did we arrive at this comprehensive framework of scrutiny? The Research Ethics and Governance Officer at Kent, Nicole Palmer, has been working in the area for almost a decade now, and offered up this broad overview of key points in the progress to the present. It's not comprehensive, but does provide an indication of both the historic moments since the war that triggered action, and the legislation, policy and guidelines that have resulted.

For more detail of a range of professional ethics codes, have a look at this list compiled by the Research Ethics Handbook. For staff at the University of Kent who wish to talk through their research and the issues involved, drop Nicole a line.

Break on through to The Other Side

If you've ever tried contacting the relevant research and development office at your local NHS Trust, you'll know the frustrations of trying to get the name of someone to call. Yesterday I tried to track down the contact details of the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Research and Development Department. Their website was very welcoming and positive, proclaiming that the Trust was 'committed to ongoing research and development to seek out new ways of improving health and healthcare.'

Great. But who do I call?

They suggested the switchboard. Hmm. If you've ever tried calling the switchboard of a small organisation (not pointing any fingers, BA), let alone a sprawling behemoth like an NHS Trust, you'll know that's a non-starter.

However, help is at hand. Nicole Palmer, the Ethics & Governance Officer here at Kent, is a past master at cutting through the complexities of NHS structures, and suggested that I should start with the NHS R&D Forum. This is a network for those involved in managing and supporting R&D in health and social care, and aims to (whisper it) facilitate interaction, and share best practice. Better still they have a list of the contact details of every R&D dept of every NHS Trust in the country.

Swoon! So you no longer need to bang your head against the wall as you're put on hold by the switchboard operator. Thanks very much to Nicole for this top tip.