In the Long Run, Misleading Participants Will Harm More Than Help in Long COVID Research

Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice are bedrock ethical principles in science. They are especially important when studying vulnerable populations. Billias et al. argue that deception is necessary to assure the internal validity of their exercise study involving people living with long COVID.[1] Here, we assert the use of deception is ethically indefensible and scientifically unnecessary in this population. It undermines informed consent, increases risks for harms, exploits the vulnerability of participants, and erodes trust in science and health care, all while exploring a question that already has been asked and answered satisfactorily enough to inform clinical recommendations. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/11/e102112.responses#in-the-long-run-misleading-participants-will-harm-more-than-help-in-long-covid-research