Responsible conduct of research: enhancing local opportunities

Introduction: Research integrity is the foundation of credible research and a pre-requisite for a successful academic research environment. Lately, a lot of revelations of fraud and other unacceptable behaviour in research have been highly publicized in scientific journals and mass media. Whereas institutions in developed countries have developed guidelines and regulations to ensure responsible conduct of research and appropriately deal with cases of research misconduct, low- and middle-income countries seem to be lagging behind. In Uganda, there seems to be lack of coordinated efforts to address the problem of research misconduct both at the national and institutional level.Objective: To propose a framework for fostering scientific integrity and deterring misconduct in research in Ugandan research and academic institutions.Methods: A review of literature on scientific integrity, scientific misconduct, responsible conduct of research, and international ethical guidelines was done.Results: Basing on the 2012 Inter-Academy Council policy report, initiatives to promote responsible conduct of research in Ugandan research and academic institutions are proposed.Conclusion: With the proposed framework, an honest and trustworthy research enterprise in Uganda based on principles of scientific integrity is envisioned.Keywords: Research misconduct, scientific integrity, responsible conduct of researc

Responsible conduct of research: enhancing local opportunities.

Introduction: Research integrity is the foundation of credible research and a pre-requisite for a successful academic research environment. Lately, a lot of revelations of fraud and other unacceptable behaviour in research have been highly publicized in scientific journals and mass media. Whereas institutions in developed countries have developed guidelines and regulations to ensure responsible conduct of research and appropriately deal with cases of research misconduct, low- and middle-income countries seem to be lagging behind. In Uganda, there seems to be lack of coordinated efforts to address the problem of research misconduct both at the national and institutional level. Objective: To propose a framework for fostering scientific integrity and deterring misconduct in research in Ugandan research and academic institutions. Methods: A review of literature on scientific integrity, scientific misconduct, responsible conduct of research, and international ethical guidelines was done. Results: Basing on the 2012 Inter-Academy Council policy report, initiatives to promote responsible conduct of research in Ugandan research and academic institutions are proposed. Conclusion: With the proposed framework, an honest and trustworthy research enterprise in Uganda based on principles of scientific integrity is envisioned

Mandatory anatomy dissection, effect on examination performance

Regular class attendance is evidence of professionalism. This has led to mandatory class attendance in many disciplines including anatomy. However, there is paucity of data on the effect of mandatory class attendance on student performance in resource-limited settings. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of mandatory attendance of anatomy dissections on student’s practical exams. This was an audit of undergraduate first year health professional students performance on the practical summative Steeplechase exam for the anatomy of limbs in two consecutive academic years at Makerere University. The second lot of first year students in the study had all their scheduled anatomy dissection sessions roll called to confirm their attendance that was the intervention arm in the study. The data was analysed with STATA statistical computing software version 13. Some of the tests run on this data included independent samples t test and Regression analysis. The overall performance of students in the academic year varied with roll call and was significantly lower than that in the previous academic year without roll call (mean difference -8.04 95% CI -10.76 to -5.31). Significant reductions in performance were also observed with type of student sponsorship (P<0.01) and the program they were pursuing (P<0.01). Roll calling had the largest effect on student performance demonstrated by the 0.23 standard deviation reduction in performance of students. This study shows that mandatory attendance of anatomy dissections leads to a reduction in the student’s performance on practical anatomy examinationsKeywords: Anatomy dissection, class attendance, examination performanc

Ethics in Research: Relevance for Nephrology

Research is crucial to progress in nephrology. It is important that studies are conducted rigorously from the scientific perspective, as well as in adherence to ethical standards. Traditional clinical research places a high value on individual research subject autonomy. Research questions often include the clinical effectiveness of new interventions studied under highly controlled conditions. Such research has brought the promise of new game-changers in nephrology, such as the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. Implementation research takes such knowledge further and investigates how to translate it into broader-scale policy and practice, to achieve swift and global uptake, with a focus on justice and equity. Newer challenges arising globally in research ethics include those relating to oversight of innovation, biobanking and big data, human-challenge studies, and research during emergencies. This article details the history of clinical research ethics and the role of research ethics committees, describes the evolving spectrum of biomedical research in human medicine, and presents emerging clinical research ethics issues using illustrative examples and a hypothetical case study. It is imperative that researchers and research ethics committees are well versed in the ethical principles of all forms of human research such that research is conducted to the highest standards and that effective interventions can be implemented at scale as rapidly as possible

Remote consent approaches for mobile phone surveys of non-communicable disease risk factors in Colombia and Uganda: A randomized study.

IntroductionAutomated mobile phone surveys (MPS) can be used to collect public health data of various types to inform health policy and programs globally. One challenge in administering MPS is identification of an appropriate and effective participant consent process. This study investigated the impact of different survey consent approaches on participant disposition (response characteristics and understanding of the purpose of the survey) within the context of an MPS that measured noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors across Colombia and Uganda.MethodsParticipants were randomized to one of five consent approaches, with consent modules varying by the consent disclosure and mode of authorization. The control arm consisted of a standard consent disclosure and a combined opt-in/opt-out mode of authorization. The other four arms consist of a modified consent disclosure and one of four different forms of authorization (i.e., opt-in, opt-out, combined opt-in/opt-out, or implied). Data related to respondent disposition and respondent understanding of the survey purpose were analyzed.ResultsAmong 1889 completed surveys in Colombia, differences in contact, response, refusal, and cooperation rates by study arms were found. About 68% of respondents correctly identified the survey purpose, with no significant difference by study arm. Participants reporting higher levels of education and urban residency were more likely to identify the purpose correctly. Participants were also more likely to accurately identify the survey purpose after completing several survey modules, compared to immediately following the consent disclosure (78.8% vs 54.2% correct, pConclusionThis study contributes to the limited available evidence regarding consent procedures for automated MPS. Future studies should develop and trial additional interventions to enhance consent for automated public health surveys, and measure other dimensions of participant engagement and understanding

Understanding of survey purpose by study arm and timing of measurement in Colombia and Uganda.

Understanding of survey purpose by study arm and timing of measurement in Colombia and Uganda.</p