title: Research ethics, informed consent, and participant recruitment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This analysis explores ethical issues and challenges in participant recruitment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) as researcher faces many issues and challenges, including ethical issues of informed consent. Balancing participant expectations of care with the research purpose is often challenging. DESCRIPTION OF THE ANALYSIS: This analysis synthesizes literature in key areas related to participant recruitment. Medline, CINAHL, and hand search techniques were used to collect relevant materials for this analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key issues related to ethics and informed consent included readability of consent documents, education level, relationships between participants and health care providers, therapeutic misconception, and illness severity. Related issues include compensation of participants, recruitment of special populations, and the role of clinical research associate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CNS faces considerable ethical and logistical challenges in any research study. Strategies to support the CNS as researcher are available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased awareness of ethical issues and challenges in recruitment is important for the CNS to creatively design strategies to enhance recruitment and retention in research studies.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260, USA. elaine.steinke@wichita.edu
authors.forename: Elaine E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Steinke
mesh_terms: D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000941:ethics*; D018579:Patient Selection; D035842:Research Subjects; D035862:Vulnerable Populations