World Health Organization document is evidence of the international impact of research ethics scholarship at Western University

On December 4, 2019, World Health Organization published a document on “Ethical Considerations for Health Policy and Systems Research.” Professor, Charles Weijer (cross-appointed to Epidemiology and Biostatistics) led the writing team with colleagues from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. 

HPSR seeks to generate knowledge to improve "how societies organize themselves to achieve health goals.” HPSR’s focus on systems, policies and programmes means that studies may be both organizationally and ethically complex. "Ethical Considerations for Health Policy and Systems Research" provides a novel systematic approach to analyzing ethical issues in HPSR for researchers and RECs globally. 

WHO’s Senior Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, says: “This document will be of value to all involved in undertaking or using HPSR, including researchers, educators and students, as well as policy-makers and practitioners involved in co-producing research on health policy and systems. Research ethics committees – especially those that have limited experience of dealing with HPSR – will find it particularly helpful, as it illustrates the points made with clear and relevant examples. I hope that the contents will stimulate further thinking and development of guidance in this field."

The WHO document is evidence of the international impact of research ethics scholarship at Western University.


Ethical considerations for health policy and systems research
https://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/resources/publications/ethical-considerations-hpsr/en/

journal-cover_weijer.pngThis new publication from the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (WHO) and the Global Health Ethics Unit (WHO) considers fourteen ethical questions when conducting health policy and systems research (HPSR). HPSR processes are often tightly intertwined with practice – but these two communities have inherently different ends and obligations. For health practitioners, their obligation is to their patients. For researchers, their aim is to contribute to the scientific community. These different objectives can create tensions in HPSR projects, for example around privacy and confidentiality issues, which need to be understood and addressed. Following a review of existing best practices in other sectors and discussion among a group of experts, this publication identifies practical questions to help clarify the ethical responsibilities for HPSR projects and explains them through the lens of six case studies.