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BY-NC-ND 4.0 license Open Access Published by De Gruyter 2020

6 Geriatric trauma patients as research subjects in a technology-driven research project

A preliminary field report

From the book Aging between Participation and Simulation

  • Amelie Altenbuchner and Karsten Weber

A preliminary field report

10.1515/9783110677485.

Abstract

This article highlights methodological and ethical challenges in research with adults of older and oldest age, by presenting field experiences of the current research project “Motion Monitoring of Geriatric Trauma Patients - Explorative Study on the Rehabilitation Process after Hip Fracture Using Sensor-based Data”. Depiction of the survey situation, with regard to the subjects in particular, can serve as practical examples for designing future research projects.

The group of older adults is a rather large and growing group for which research is required, especially concerning their heterogeneity, their individual autonomy and quality of life. It is assumed, that research designs of studies on the target group must be specifically adjusted, in particular when considering the attribution of vulnerability of the group members. At the same time, it is not clear yet what exact specifics of the subjects and target group must be considered in research designs, as surprisingly little is known about the target group as subjects and corresponding theories have been insufficiently tested.

The exploratory long-term design of the research project presented in the second section of this chapter has a positive evaluation of an ethics committee. Still ethical challenges occurred in the field situation, that are illustrated in the third section of this chapter, by providing information on the patients, their role as research subjects, how they were recruited, how an informed consensus was reached, and in some cases how participation was rejected or abandoned. After a summary, the end of the paper is marked by recommendations on how to design future research projects.

Cumulatively it must always be expected that interaction between researchers and research subjects of this target group can become very intensive, what requires to follow clearly defined procedures and at the same time to be prepared to act flexibly.

© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston
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