Which ethical principle is most focused on minimizing harm to research participants?

Beneficence is the ethical principle that is primarily concerned with maximizing benefits and minimizing harm to research participants. In the context of research, beneficence requires that researchers take steps to ensure the well-being of participants, protect them from physical, psychological, and social harm, and emphasize the ethical obligation to provide a favorable risk-benefit ratio in research studies.

This principle is rooted in the idea that the welfare of participants should be a top priority in any research endeavor. Researchers are expected to carefully assess potential risks and ensure that any possible benefits to participants and society at large justify those risks. This is crucial in maintaining ethical standards and protecting vulnerable populations within research frameworks.

While the other principles—such as justice, which focuses on fairness and equitable distribution of research benefits and burdens, autonomy, which emphasizes the right of individuals to make informed choices about their involvement in research, and integrity, which centers on honesty, transparency, and accountability in research practices—are important, none are as directly aligned with the imperative to minimize harm as beneficence.