Legal dissemination protections in community-based participatory health equity research

BackgroundThere are legal protections for nurse researchers at public universities who employ community-based participatory research (CBPR) in research about social or health inequities. Dissemination of CBPR research data by researchers or participants may divulge unjust laws and create an imperative for university involvement.Research QuestionWhat are United States-based legal dissemination protections for CBPR health equity nurse researchers?Research DesignThree case examples employing CBPR are examined: 1) a mixed methods study with participants reporting illegal discrimination in a municipal initiative about capacity building in community-based organizations serving children; 2) a visual methods study exposing potential clean air law violations in environmental justice research; and 3) a study examining workload violations and illegal discrimination among hotel workers.Participants and Research ContextThe cases involved participants from protected social class backgrounds. The research is described with respect to: background, funding, research purpose, and research team; research participants' power and legal vulnerability; dissemination of relevant research information balancing vulnerability and power; research dissemination issues; potential legal issues involved; and laws researchers may use.Ethical ConsiderationsIRB approval was obtained for the studies. Using a social justice ethical framework, studies highlight actual or potential legal aspects of data dissemination in the context of gathering data about injustice.Findings Legal protections for research data dissemination, whistleblower protection, research advancement protection, anti-harassment protection, false claims, defamation, and visual data liabilities are described.ConclusionKnowledge of legal research data dissemination protections is an essential competency for nurse researchers invested in uplifting social justice.