 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Kathleen K. Shannon Dorcy, RN, MN, Nursing Program, University of Washington, Tacoma, Box 358421, 1900 Commerce St, Tacoma, WA 98402-3100, 253-6924470, kshannon@fhcrc.org
One of the most difficult aspects of improving the well-being and health of communities is moving from research to implementation of interventions. On a national level, agencies such as the CDC and NIH are funding research efforts directed towards the development of community interventions. Even for those particular interventions that are proven effective, far too often the necessary resources (material, financial, political) are not provided to translate the research into practice on a realistic level. This presentation explores the ethical dimensions of intervention research in a community health context. Public health researchers have perfected the art of engagement of the populations in which research is conducted. With that level of “capacity building” established, the next step is implementing and sustaining interventions. Often these interventions target marginalized populations with significant health disparities. Even when successful, interventions end prematurely. Do we not then violate a societal trust by establishing engagement with a population and then in effect abandon them when the terms of the grant or contract expire? This practice raises questions as to who truly benefits from research? Is it those upon whom an intervention has evidenced positive effects only to have the intervention closed due to lack of support? Or is it those conducting the research? The ethical implications of conducting intervention research extends to graduate programs where students are inculcated in science as an impartial and objective art, requiring nothing further than the publication of results. What is the researchers accountability for engendering enduring social, political, and economic change?
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Social Justice, Interventions
Related Web page: No
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.