ABSTRACT
In this chapter, authors apply the historical perspective of ethics in relation to medical research to palliative care, appraise the application of international codes that guide ethical frameworks in palliative-care-related research, describe a practical approach to research ethics, and discuss important ethical challenges when undertaking palliative care research. This can be problematic with palliative care research given the limited number of ethics committee members who have experience conducting research in this area. Ethical challenges in palliative research include research-related distress and the perceived vulnerability of participants; research burden for ill patients; consent and capacity issues; ensuring confidentiality and anonymity; and methodological challenge of producing high-quality research, including the contribution of the RCT. inform ethical standards in research. Until recently, however, there has been little consideration or practical advice for palliative care research regarding the methodological challenges of informed consent.
