Abstract
Abstract
Background
Research around humanitarian crises, aid delivery, and the impact of these crises on health and well-being has expanded dramatically. Ethical issues around these topics have recently received more attention. We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize the lessons learned regarding the ethics of research in humanitarian crises.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to identify articles regarding the ethics of research in humanitarian contexts between January 1, 1997 and September 1, 2019. We analyzed the articles to extract key themes and develop an agenda for future research.
Results
We identified 52 articles that matched our inclusion criteria. We categorized the article data into five categories of analysis: 32 were expert statements, 18 were case studies, 11 contained original research, eight were literature reviews and three were book chapters. All included articles were published in English. Using a step-wise qualitative analysis, we identified 10 major themes that encompassed these concepts and points. These major themes were: ethics review process (21 articles, [40.38%]); community engagement (15 articles [28.85%]); the dual imperative, or necessity that research be both academically sound and policy driven, clinical trials in the humanitarian setting (13 articles for each, [25.0%)]; informed consent (10 articles [19.23%]); cultural considerations (6 articles, [11.54%]); risks to researchers (5 articles, [9.62%]); child participation (4 articles [7.69%]); and finally mental health, and data ownership (2 articles for each [3.85%]).
Conclusions
Interest in the ethics of studying humanitarian crises has been dramatically increasing in recent years. While key concepts within all research settings such as beneficence, justice and respect for persons are crucially relevant, there are considerations unique to the humanitarian context. The particular vulnerabilities of conflict-affected populations, the contextual challenges of working in humanitarian settings, and the need for ensuring strong community engagement at all levels make this area of research particularly challenging. Humanitarian crises are prevalent throughout the globe, and studying them with the utmost ethical forethought is critical to maintaining sound research principles and ethical standards.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health(social science)
Reference72 articles.
1. Global Humanitarian Overview. United Nations Coordinated Support to Pepole Affected by Disaster. 2019 https://www.unocha.org/sites/unocha/files/GHO2019.pdf. Accessed 15 Feb 2020.
2. UNHCR - Yemen emergency. Available from: https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/yemen-emergency.html. Accessed 31 Jan 2019.
3. WHO Bangladesh Rohingya crisis. Word Health Organization. 2019. https://www.who.int/emergencies/crises/bgd/en/. Accessed 31 Jan 2019.
4. Rysaback-Smith H. History and principles of humanitarian action. Turkish J Emerg Med. 2015;15(Suppl):5–7.
5. Davey E, Borton J, Foley M. A history of the humanitarian system Western origins and foundations. 2013. https://www.odi.org/publications/7535-history-humanitarian-system-western-origins-and-foundations. Accessed 15 Feb 2020.
Cited by
11 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献