Juggling the work of an IRB of record and becoming a relying IRB can be challenging. But one underlying goal can keep an IRB on track with both roles: consistency.
IRBs and research institutions continue to hammer out processes and best practices related to the revised Common Rule. As one IRB found, this process requires a team effort. When collaborative IRB requests began to increase, the Augusta (GA) University IRB office formed a reliance team. The IRB also designated one team member, a reliance coordinator, to handle issues related to reliance agreements. A recent study revealed the reliance team helps IRB offices with collaboration and reviewing reliance agreements to ensure the research is in accordance with local policies. The team also can help investigators navigate through reliance process.
