Internal Review Boards
RSSArticles
-
IRB Improves and Simplifies Board Meeting Minutes Process
An IRB revised its board meeting minutes process from a clunky system of writing everything into an electronic document to one in which the minutes are automatically populated through the IRB’s electronic system, saving staff time and work. The old way of creating board meeting minutes sometimes took as long as a month for IRB staff to generate. Since the IRB revised its process, the staff can generate board meeting minutes within a week.
-
IRB Reduces Student Study Review Time from 65 Days to 8 Days
It is possible to shorten IRB review time dramatically, but it requires some resources and time. The IRB of Northcentral University serves a nontraditional population of students, some of whom want to complete a research study as part of their academic plan. The IRB’s streamlining process reduced the submission-to-approval time to eight days, down from an average of 65 days before the new process, according to new, unpublished data.
-
Researchers and IRBs Reconsider Minimal Risk After Trial Results
A clinical trial that involved studying electronic health record alerts for acute kidney injury seemed to be minimal risk to both the researchers and the IRBs that approved it. However, when two hospitals involved in the study reported an increased mortality rate, the researchers and the IRBs reconsidered what is truly minimal risk in these types of studies.
-
Study Shows Research Programs and IRBs Responded Quickly to the Pandemic
Human research protection programs and IRBs nationwide responded quickly and efficiently to changing processes and policies during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a recent study.
-
FWA Revisited: ‘Checking the Box’ and IO Responsibilities Under the Revised Common Rule
Revisions to the Common Rule took effect in 2018, but questions remain about how these changes have affected the Federalwide Assurance (FWA) and institutional responsibilities under the FWA.
-
Chief Ethical Considerations for Continued COVID-19 Vaccine Research
The COVID-19 pandemic has created more uncertainty in human research protections in 2021. One issue IRBs will face is whether the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for people who enroll in COVID-19 vaccine studies.
-
Research World Can Help Build Trust Among Minorities
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has raised issues about trust among many Americans who are hesitant or unwilling to take the vaccine. The issue of trust is especially problematic among minority communities that have been harmed in historic medical and research incidences. People also are skeptical of a vaccine that was developed in record time, considering most vaccines take 10-15 years to make it to market.
-
Research Trust Issues Affect Vaccine Rollout
The first month of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout among frontline healthcare workers was a reality check to the human research world after many people said no to the vaccine. There are several reasons for vaccine hesitancy, including distrust in the accelerated vaccine development process.
-
IRB Websites Can Offer a Wealth of Useful Tools
An important and useful function of an IRB’s website is its ability to give researchers — as well as the public — access to a wide variety of forms, guidance, and tools. When created well, an IRB’s website can be easy to navigate. It also should be updated with new and revised information regularly. Like crowdsourcing websites and with permission, an IRB’s website also can adopt and adapt tools that researchers and other IRBs have found useful.
-
Investigators Benefit from Using Online Self-Auditing Tools
One method to improve regulatory compliance while maintaining IRB efficiency lies in teaching investigators how to conduct self-audits of their protocols and studies.