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Article: Research ethics review: Do it once and do it well
- Article from:
- Canadian Medical Association. Journal
- Article date:
- March 17, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Canadian Medical Association Mar 17, 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Research ethics boards are essential for protecting the rights and well-being of research participants. Currently, however, investigators, research institutes and funders are complaining that the system does not work. A chief complaint is that multicentre trials are overreviewed and mired in bureaucracy because each centre performs its own independent reviews.
A simple calculation suggests that, for a 20-centre trial, some 300-500 person-hours in total may be required of the parties involved in the ethics review process. Given this significant opportunity cost, one would hope to find clear evidence that such a labour-intensive process protects patients effectively. Yet no such data exist. ...