title: Research in disaster settings: a systematic qualitative review of ethical guidelines.
abstract: Conducting research during or in the aftermath of disasters poses many specific practical and ethical challenges. This is particularly the case with research involving human subjects. The extraordinary circumstances of research conducted in disaster settings require appropriate regulations to ensure the protection of human participants. The goal of this study is to systematically and qualitatively review the existing ethical guidelines for disaster research by using the constant comparative method (CCM).
  
  
  
  We performed a systematic qualitative review of disaster research ethics guidelines to collect and compare existing regulations. Guidelines were identified by a three-tiered search strategy: 1) searching databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), 2) an Internet search (Google), and 3) a search of the references in the included documents from the first two searches. We used the constant comparative method (CCM) for analysis of included guidelines.
  
  
  
  Fourteen full text guidelines were included for analysis. The included guidelines covered the period 2000-2014. Qualitative analysis of the included guidelines revealed two core themes: vulnerability and research ethics committee review. Within each of the two core themes, various categories and subcategories were identified.
  
  
  
  Some concepts and terms identified in analyzed guidelines are used in an inconsistent manner and applied in different contexts. Conceptual clarity is needed in this area as well as empirical evidence to support the statements and requirements included in analyzed guidelines.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
authors: Signe
authors: S
authors: Mezinska
authors: Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors: Péter
authors: P
authors: Kakuk
authors: Department of Medical Humanities, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
authors: Goran
authors: G
authors: Mijaljica
authors: Department of Philosophy and Bioethics, REMEDY, Research Ethics in Medicine Study Group, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
authors: Marcin
authors: M
authors: Waligóra
authors: School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland. donal.omathuna@dcu.ie.
authors: Dónal P
authors: DP
authors: O'Mathúna
mesh_terms: D004190:Disasters; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Disaster; Disaster research; Ethics guidelines; Research ethics; Research ethics committee; Vulnerability