Problemas morais e/ou éticos vivenciados por membros de Comitês de Ética em Pesquisa

Abstract

In the exercise of their duties, members of the research ethics committees experience moral and / or ethical problems, but this is a topic that has not been investigated much. In this sense, this study has the general objective: to analyze the moral and / or ethical problems experienced by members of the research ethics committee during their activities and on which they are based to solve these problems. This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, whose participants were 39 people who served on research ethics committees in a

city in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Data were collected, in October 2020, through a self- administered questionnaire on the Google Forms platform. The questionnaire was accessed

through a link inserted in the invitation sent to each member of the research ethics committee, inviting them to participate in the research. Descriptive data were analyzed by simple frequency and calculated percentage; the qualitative data were analyzed according to the content analysis from the perspective of the Humanistic, Existential, Personalistic Triadic Configuration. The study made it possible to characterize the ethics committees as having been in place for more than eight years; composed of more than seven members, whose mandate varies between 2 and 3 years and with the right to reappoint. With regard to its members, the study showed that there was a majority of females and masters; people without initial training and acting on the same ethics committee where they work, no exchange of experiences between members of different ethics committees and no incentives. About the problems experienced were described: conflict of interest between members of the ethics committees and between researcher, participant and financier; conflict of member values among themselves and between members and researchers; ethical dilemmas related to the suggestions / recommendations made to the researcher and the waiver of an informed consent form. To solve these problems, these members are based on: the norms of the National Research Ethics Commission, laws, bioethics, principles and values and adopt strategies such as exchanging experiences, sharing ideas and opinions among themselves and among members of other ethics committees. We conclude that there is a need for: adequacy in the composition of ethics committees, incentives for members, promotion of initial training and continued training of members and promotion of discussions on research ethics for researchers and academics. The study contributed to produce scientific knowledge on the subject and, with its dissemination, will provide an opportunity to understand the moral and ethical problems experienced by members of ethics committees and enable reflection on the importance of conducting research according to the assumptions basic human rights.