Administering an electronic survey about chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Sample Solution

1. What security steps could you take in the future to prevent participants from navigating to the home page of the survey administration software when they complete the survey on the iPad?

There are a number of security steps that can be taken to prevent participants from navigating to the home page of the survey administration software when they complete the survey on the iPad. Some of these steps include:

• Using a survey administration software that offers kiosk mode. Kiosk mode is a feature that locks down the device to only allow access to the survey. This will prevent participants from accidentally or intentionally exiting the survey and accessing other areas of the device.
• Disabling the home button and other navigation controls on the iPad. This can be done through the iPad's Accessibility settings.
• Using a guided access feature. Guided access allows you to lock down the iPad to a specific app or screen. This can be done through the iPad's Accessibility settings.

Full Answer Section

• Using a case or sleeve that covers the home button and other navigation controls on the iPad. This will make it more difficult for participants to accidentally exit the survey.
• Positioning the iPad in a way that makes the home button and other navigation controls inaccessible to participants. For example, you could place the iPad in a stand or mount it to the wall.

2. If you were the PI of this study, how would you explain to your research assistant the importance of data privacy/security?

As the PI of the study, it is important to explain to your research assistant the importance of data privacy and security in clear and concise terms. You should emphasize that the data collected from participants is confidential and that it is their responsibility to protect it. You should also provide them with training on how to properly handle and store research data.

Here are some specific talking points that you could use to explain the importance of data privacy/security to your research assistant:

• Data privacy and security are essential for protecting the rights of research participants. When participants agree to participate in a research study, they trust that the researchers will protect their privacy and keep their data safe. If researchers fail to protect participant data, it could have serious consequences for participants, such as identity theft, financial loss, or discrimination.
• Data privacy and security are also important for maintaining the integrity of research findings. If research data is not properly protected, it could be tampered with or destroyed. This could lead to inaccurate or misleading research findings, which could have negative consequences for public health and safety.
• Researchers have a legal and ethical obligation to protect participant data. Most research institutions have policies and procedures in place to protect participant data. Researchers who violate these policies and procedures could face disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

3. If you were the PI of this study, should you report this incident to the IRB? Why or why not?

Yes, I would report this incident to the IRB. The IRB is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of research participants. When a data privacy incident occurs, it is important to notify the IRB so that they can investigate the incident and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

The IRB will assess the severity of the incident and the likelihood that it could cause harm to participants. If the IRB determines that the incident is serious and could cause harm to participants, they may require the PI to take additional steps to protect participant data. For example, the PI may be required to notify participants of the incident, offer them credit monitoring services, or change the way that research data is collected or stored.

4. In an alternate scenario, when you approach Edith to administer the survey, Edith says that she does not remember being apart of a research study. How would you respond in this situation? Should you still administer the survey?

If Edith says that she does not remember being apart of a research study, I would first try to determine why she has forgotten. Is it possible that she was enrolled in the study by a different research assistant? Is it possible that she is confusing this study with another research study that she has participated in?

If I am unable to determine why Edith has forgotten about the study, I would explain the study to her again and ask if she still wants to participate. If she says that she does not want to participate, I would respect her decision and not administer the survey.

It is important to note that research participants must have the capacity to consent to participate in a research study. If Edith is unable to remember that she has agreed to participate in the study, then she does not have the capacity to consent and the survey should not be administered.

Additional Considerations

In addition to the security steps and ethical considerations discussed above, there are a few other things that can be done to prevent data privacy incidents in research studies:

• Use strong passwords and encryption. Passwords should be at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters,