title: Case study: ethical guidance for pediatric e-health research using examples from pain research with adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Internet is a frequently used platform for research in pediatric and health psychology. However, there is little pragmatic guidance as to ethical best practice of this research. The absence of guidance is particularly prominent for online research with children. Our objective is to outline ethical issues in e-health research with children and adolescents using two exemplar studies in pediatric pain research.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first study is an asynchronous message board discussion amongst teenagers with pain who are frequent internet users.The second study is a web-based behavioral intervention for the management of adolescent pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each exemplar study is discussed in the context of specific ethical considerations related to recruitment, informed consent and debriefing, privacy and confidentiality, and participant safety. Ethical issues regarding the evaluation of online psychological interventions are also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Guidance on optimal ethical practice in e-health research is summarized.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Pain Research, The University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Emily F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Tonya M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eccleston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000941:ethics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000941:ethics*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000941:ethics*