Ethics Approval
SECONDARY
This study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of Korea University Anam Hospital (2020AN0079). The trial was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Prior to participation, all subjects were thoroughly informed about the objectives and methodology of the research and provided written informed consent. For those participating in secondary data analysis, it is important to note that the original informed consent documents, approved by the relevant IRB, permitted the use of this data for subsequent research purposes without requiring additional consent. Considering that they are a vulnerable population, participants’ privacy and confidentiality were of the utmost importance throughout the research process. All data collected were anonymized and deidentified prior to analysis to protect the identities of the participants. Any information that could potentially identify individuals was securely stored and only accessible to the primary research team. In terms of compensation, participants in the primary research were compensated with monetary payment. The amount was deemed appropriate and ethical by the Korea University Anam Hospital Ethical Committee, considering the time commitment and contributions made by the participants. The compensation was not contingent on the participants’ responses, and they were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.