RESEARCH AND RESEARCH DESIGN

Scenario: You are a Health Educator in a nutrition study that examined the effects of exercise and a low-salt diet on high blood pressure risk reduction. You are responsible for translating the study results and sharing them with local community organizations that may benefit from learning about the study results. The study had significant findings for exercise, but not the low-salt diet. The low-salt diet did not have the expected effect on high blood pressure. However, you really believe in the low-salt diet program and participants in the study really liked the low-salt recipes. What should you do? Select the best answer.

Report only the positive effect of exercise because that is all that was found.

Report the positive effect of exercise, but also explain that no effect was found for a low-salt diet.

Report the positive effect of exercise, but also explain the importance of a low-salt diet even though no effect was found for a low-salt diet.

Contact the program manager or PI to explain your worry and ask how it is best for you to proceed.

Scenario: At a health clinic, a group of investigators gathered to study the effects of a new medicine in treating a health problem. They designed a Randomized Controlled Trial so that some people would receive the new medicine and others would not. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed the plan and approved the research study. You are hired as a screening coordinator to recruit participants who meet the eligibility requirements to participate in the study. At the health clinic, you approach a potential participant. You explain the purpose of the study and the eligibility requirements for becoming a participant. He asks, "Why there are so many eligibility requirements for people to participate in the study?"

One of the responsibilities of research personnel is to follow the research protocol.

TRUE

FALSE

Why is it important for research staff to maintain the integrity of the research protocol?

To provide a better work environment for the research team

To make the study look more professional

To ensure the study is conducted correctly

To guarantee publication of the study results

Why do you need to pay attention to the details outlined in the study protocol?

To learn how to conduct a research study

To follow my responsibilities adequately

To provide information to a participant's family

None of the above