Understanding Ethical Challenges in Medical Education Research.

Studies of rapidly advancing biomedical and electronic technologies, ongoing needs to address health disparities, and new online educational modalities are vital to ensure that medical education meets the changing needs of trainees and the public. As medical education continues to evolve, research is increasingly critical to help improve it, but medical education research can pose unique ethical challenges. As research participants, medical trainees may face several risks, and in many ways constitute a vulnerable group. In this commentary, the author examines several of the ethical challenges involved in medical education research, including confidentiality and the risk of stigma; the need for equity, diversity, and inclusion; genetic testing of students; clustered randomized trials of training programs; and questions about quality improvement activities. The author offers guidance for navigating these ethical challenges, including the importance of engaging with institutional review boards. Academic medical institutions should educate and work closely with faculty to ensure that all research adheres to appropriate ethical guidelines and regulations, and should provide instruction about medical education research ethics to establish a strong foundation for the future of the field. Research on medical education will become increasingly important. Given the potential sensitivity of the data collected in medical education research, investigators must understand and address potential ethical challenges as carefully as possible.