Dhungana, Saraswati
Koirala, Rishav
Ojha, Saroj Prasad
Thapa, Suraj Bahadur
Article History
Received: 29 September 2020
Accepted: 16 December 2020
First Online: 16 February 2021
Ethics approval and consent to participate
: This study was approved by the NHRC (reference number 801), the Institute of Medicine IRC (reference number 480 (611)<sup>2</sup> 075/ 076) and the REK (reference number 2015/2081). A consent form was prepared for the participants, explaining the study details, including its aims and objectives. For participants who could not read, the consent form was read aloud by the interviewer, who clarified any questions raised, and verbal informed consent was obtained. The participants could withdraw voluntarily, without the need for justification, at any time during the interview if they did not want to participate. The participants’ confidentiality was maintained by providing code number for each participant and anonymizing them. Only the research team had access to the data, and it was preserved safely in a password-locked computer and fire-resistant cupboard. The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committee on human research in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2013.
: Not applicable, as individual details are not provided in this study.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.