Acting as principle investigator on a project, a nurse discovers that study results do not support some of the researcher's long-held beliefs. What is the most significant danger in this situation?

Question

1. The researcher may tire of the topic before the study is completed.
2. The researcher may abandon the project.
3. The researcher may be unable to remain unbiased in the interpretation of data.
4. The researcher may feel obligated to ask another nurse researcher to act as the principle investigator on the project.

Answer 1

3
Rationale 1: Although it is true that the researcher may grow tired of the project, this is not the most significant danger.
Rationale 2: Although it is true that the researcher might have thoughts of abandoning the project, an ethical researcher would continue the investigation. This is not the most significant danger because if the study is abandoned no unreliable data would be published.
Rationale 3: This is the most significant danger. A researcher must be able to separate personal feelings from data interpretation. If this cannot be done, the data and findings published may be biased or erroneous.
Rationale 4: If the researcher's feelings are strong enough, this might be a consideration.