Improving the Ethics Review of Qualitative Health Research: A Comparison of Review Practices and Suggestions for Improvement by Researchers and Members of Research Ethics Committees.

Most qualitative health research is subject to ethics review and approval by a research ethics committee (REC). While many studies have identified the challenges that current ethics review practices pose to qualitative health research, there is currently a call to move the research focus from the shortcomings of ethics review practices to the possibilities for improvement. The aim of this grounded theory study was to identify possibilities for improvement of current ethics review practices which can count on endorsement from qualitative health researchers and members of REC alike.

The Role of Transparency in Digital Contact Tracing During COVID-19: Insights from an Expert Survey.

Health technologies such as apps for digital contract tracing [DCT] played a crucial role in containing and combating infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary function was to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by consistently generating and disseminating information related to various events such as encounters, vaccinations or infections. While the functionality of DCT has been well researched, the necessity of transparency in the use of DCT and the consent to share sensitive information such as users' health, vaccination and location status remains unclear.

Increasing efficiency and well-being? a systematic review of the empirical claims of the double-benefit argument in socially assistive devices.

Background: Socially assistive devices (care robots, companions, smart screen assistants) have been advocated as a promising tool in elderly care in Western healthcare systems. Ethical debates indicate various challenges. One of the most prevalent arguments in the debate is the double-benefit argument claiming that socially assistive devices may not only provide benefits for autonomy and well-being of their users but might also be more efficient than other caring practices and might help to mitigate scarce resources in healthcare.

Smartphone Apps for Containing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: Qualitative Interview Study With Experts Based on Grounded Theory.

Background: Smartphone apps, including those for digital contact tracing (DCT), played a crucial role in containing infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary function is to generate and disseminate information to disrupt transmissions based on various events, such as encounters, vaccinations, locations, or infections. Although the functionality of these apps has been extensively studied, there is still a lack of qualitative research addressing critical issues.

Research ethics in practice: An analysis of ethical issues encountered in qualitative health research with mental health service users and relatives.

The ethics review of qualitative health research poses various challenges that are due to a mismatch between the current practice of ethics review and the nature of qualitative methodology. The process of obtaining ethics approval for a study by a research ethics committee before the start of a research study has been described as "procedural ethics" and the identification and handling of ethical issues by researchers during the research process as "ethics in practice." While some authors dispute and other authors defend the use of procedural ethics in relation to qualitative health research, there is general agreement that it needs to be supplemented with ethics in practice.

Opportunities and challenges of self-binding directives: A comparison of empirical research with stakeholders in three European countries.

Background: Self-binding directives (SBDs) are psychiatric advance directives that include a clause in which mental health service users consent in advance to involuntary hospital admission and treatment under specified conditions. Medical ethicists and legal scholars identified various potential benefits of SBDs but have also raised ethical concerns. Until recently, little was known about the views of stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges of SBDs.

Socially Assistive Devices in Healthcare-a Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence from an Ethical Perspective.

Socially assistive devices such as care robots or companions have been advocated as a promising tool in elderly care in Western healthcare systems. Ethical debates indicate various challenges. An important part of the ethical evaluation is to understand how users interact with these devices and how interaction influences users' perceptions and their ability to express themselves.

Opportunities and risks of self-binding directives: A qualitative study involving stakeholders and researchers in Germany.

Purpose: Self-binding directives (SBDs) are a special type of psychiatric advance directive in which mental health service users can consent in advance to involuntary hospital admission and involuntary treatment during future mental health crises. This study presents opportunities and risks of SBDs reported by users with bipolar disorder, family members of people with bipolar disorder, professionals working with people with bipolar disorder and researchers with expertise in mental health ethics and law.

Methods: Seventeen semi-structured interviews with users, family members and professionals, and one focus group with five researchers were conducted.

Mental Health Service Users' Perspectives on Psychiatric Advance Directives: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are documents that allow users of mental health services to express their preferences for treatment in future mental health crises. To increase the use of PADs in psychiatric practice, it is helpful to consider how service users view PADs and the factors that facilitate or hinder PAD creation and implementation. A systematic review of the empirical literature on this topic may help inform evidence-based policy making.

[The combined supported decision making model : A template for an ethically justifiable implementation of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in psychiatry].

Background: The interpretation of Article 12 of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities led to a controversy over the implementation of the article in psychiatry.

Objective: How can Article 12 CRPD be implemented in psychiatry in an ethically justifiable way?

Material And Method: An empirically and legally informed conceptual and ethical analysis was carried out.

Results: The suggested combined supported decision making model ensures the recognition of people with mental disorders as persons before the law, their equal treatment in the informed consent process and the provision of supported decision making.

The Content of Psychiatric Advance Directives: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) enable users of mental health services to express their treatment preferences for future mental health crises. PAD completion rates remain low despite high rates of interest among service users and empirically confirmed benefits of their use. A systematic review of service users' preferences regarding the content of PADs could be a valuable resource for clinicians and policy makers and might help reduce barriers to PAD implementation.

Supported Decision-Making in Persons With Dementia: Development of an Enhanced Consent Procedure for Lumbar Puncture.

The right to make autonomous decisions is enshrined in law. However, the question how persons with cognitive deficits can be enabled to make autonomous decisions has not been satisfactorily addressed. In particular, the concept of supported decision-making and its implementation into practice has been poorly explored for persons with dementia (PwD).

Types of Ethical Problems and Expertise in Clinical Ethics Consultation in Psychiatry - Insights From a Qualitative Empirical Ethics Study.

Ethics consultation has been advocated as a valuable tool in ethically challenging clinical situations in healthcare. It is paramount for the development and implementation of clinical ethics support services (CESS) in psychiatry that interventions can address the moral needs of mental health professionals adequately and communicate the nature of the services clearly. This study explores types of ethical problems and concepts of ethical expertise as core elements of CESS in mental healthcare with the aim of contributing to the further development of ethical support in psychiatry.

Framework for evaluation research on clinical ethical case interventions: the role of ethics consultants.

Evaluation of clinical ethical case consultations has been discussed as an important research task in recent decades. A rigid framework of evaluation is essential to improve quality of consultations and, thus, quality of patient care. Different approaches to evaluate those services appropriately and to determine adequate empirical endpoints have been proposed.

Equality in the Informed Consent Process: Competence to Consent, Substitute Decision-Making, and Discrimination of Persons with Mental Disorders.

According to what we propose to call "the competence model," competence is a necessary condition for valid informed consent. If a person is not competent to make a treatment decision, the decision must be made by a substitute decision-maker on her behalf. Recent reports of various United Nations human rights bodies claim that article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities involves a wholesale rejection of this model, regardless of whether the model is based on a status, outcome, or functional approach to competence.

Evolvement of Peer Support Workers' Roles in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Longitudinal Qualitative Observation Study.

Peer support workers (PSWs) use their experiential knowledge and specific skills to support patients in their recovery process. The aim of our study was to examine the integration and role-finding process of PSWs in adult psychiatric hospitals in Germany. We conducted open nonparticipant observations of 25 multiprofessional team meetings and 5 transregional peer support worker meetings over a period of six months.