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IRBs may want to re-think their policies on evaluating research conflicts of interest in light of new studies indicating disclosure may not have its intended effect.
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The relationship between IRBs and principal investigators often seems strained and adversarial, but IRB and research experts say the problems mostly can be solved with a few creative changes.
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Attendees to the 2004 Annual IRB Conference, sponsored by the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research and held Oct. 28-31 in San Diego, will find a great deal of discussion about improving communication between IRBs and principal investigators in both biomedical and social-behavioral research areas. IRB Advisor spoke to several people who are scheduled to be PRIM&R panel members before the conference convened in late October, and this issue features stories that explore how to remove communication barriers and strategies for improving the relationship between PIs and IRBs, as well as strategies for helping the IRB process run more smoothly.
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One possible explanation for why IRB reviews of social-behavioral research pose complications and some confusion among IRBs and researchers can be found in the very different mindsets of the two parties.
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Health care providers routinely discuss confidential patient information in hospital hallways, cafeterias, and lobbies, two researchers have concluded. Hospital staff need to be more aware and more careful about discussing protected patient information out in the open, says Marifran Mattson, PhD, associate professor of communications at Purdue.
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Early this summer, several factors brought renewed attention to the possibility of terrorist attacks and appropriate responses on the part of the health care profession. To help prepare for an effective response for such an event, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a tool to help state and local officials quickly locate alternate health care sites if hospitals are overwhelmed by patients due to a bioterrorism attack or other public health emergency.
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A physician-specific case management program provides continuity of care for patients and creates a close working relationship between case managers and physicians at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia. The hospital made the decision several years ago to assign case managers (known as care coordinators) and social workers by physician.
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The wound care center at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano (TX) takes a holistic approach to patient care by assigning each patient to one nurse who provides hands-on care and case management. The case management piece is unusual in the outpatient setting. The outpatient wound care case management program has paid off in outcomes that have improved steadily.
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Salaries for case management are increasing, but the vast majority of case managers are working far more than the traditional 40-hour week, according to the results of the 2004 Hospital Case Management Salary Survey. The 2004 survey was mailed to readers of HCM in the June issue. More than half the respondents (58%) were case management directors. Others were case managers, utilization managers, social workers, or had other titles.
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Infection control professionals in a group of cancer centers have developed an algorithm to help meet new patient safety goals by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The Joint Commission requires health care organizations to manage as sentinel events all identified cases of unanticipated death or major loss of function due to nosocomial infections.
