case study discussion about conducting research in different culture

This is a case study discussion about conducting research in different culture In terms of : What is primary ethical challenges in this case study? You need to answer and discuss the following 7 points: Wearing a white coat symbolizes being a doctor and many people in the rural population do not distinguish between different types of health personnel. Respondents may have seen an opportunity to be attended to by a doctor, hence the quick granting of consent. Although research assistants explained that this was a study, the drugs provided for the clinical trial may have been viewed as treatment. Since the respondents generally had problems obtaining drugs, they may have thought this would be an opportunity to get free drugs. A doctor is a highly respected person in society and therefore, whatever the doctor is doing must be right. This belief makes it difficult for them to decline what the doctor is requesting. The doctor is often perceived as a powerful person capable of performing miracles. An important social value in this community is treating visitors in a friendly manner. Declining a request made by a visitor is viewed as being disrespectful and not conforming to traditional values. The notion of individual consent is in conflict with traditional values about who is able to make decisions in the family. In this community, the male household-head normally gives permission to his wife for her to consent to take part in the study. If he declines, although she may be willing to participate, she cannot because that could create family problems. The wife might be viewed as defiant if she participates when her husband had refused. Although the rights of every individual are important and need to be respected, it is also necessary to respect the cultural traditions of others because these traditions govern their everyday lives. Pursuing an ethics of individual rights from a non-cultural point of view may lead to other ethical challenges, such as causing conflicts among family members. In this case, a mans refusal to allow his wife to participate, combined with the cultural requirement that one should not decline a visitors requests, places a woman in a difficult dilemma: a woman cannot say no to participating in the study because this might be construed as disrespectful to a visitor, and yet she cannot say yes because her husband has refused to let her participate. While some respondents had absolutely no problem with consenting to participate in the study, they did have a problem with signing the consent form. They could not see the point of signing the form after they had agreed to participate. This may have been viewed as insincerity on the part of the researchers and possibly evidence of a hidden agenda which was not being revealed. Past experiences have made some people become suspicious of signing documents. Individuals have, for example, lost their land by signing papers, hence their hesitation about signing consent forms.