Reporting of Ethics Procedures in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Peer-Reviewed Empirical Research Publications in the Last Decade

摘要

Objective: This study quantified and predicted the reporting of standard ethics procedures in published psychiatric rehabilitation (PSR) empirical research. Methods: Peer-reviewed empirical research articles published between 2000 and 2009 (inclusive) in three PSR journals and psychosocial research articles from Schizophrenia Bulletin were reviewed for reporting of voluntary informed consent or its waiver, ethics approval, and capacity of participants to consent to research. Demographic and methodological data of the articles were collected. Results: We found 751 articles. Fewer than half did not report voluntary informed consent, ethics approval, or either, and hardly any reported waiver of voluntary informed consent or capacity of participants to consent to research. More recent publication, more authors, and publication in Schizophrenia Bulletin predicted more reporting of ethics procedures. Conclusion: There is considerable (although decreasing) underreporting of standard ethics procedures in published PSR research. This situation should be further improved and studied.