Ethical approval for national studies in Ireland: an illustration of current challenges.

Smith, Mary; Doyle, Frank; Mc Gee, Hannah; De La Harpe, Davida

Ethical approval for national studies in Ireland: an illustration of current challenges.

Version 2 2022-01-07, 17:38

Version 1 2019-11-22, 15:43

journal contribution

posted on 2022-01-07, 17:38 authored by Mary Smith, Frank DoyleFrank Doyle, Hannah Mc GeeHannah Mc Gee, Davida De La Harpe

BACKGROUND: Ethical approval of research projects is, appropriately, an essential prerequisite in health settings. AIMS: This paper outlines difficulties encountered with procedures for gaining ethical approval for two multicentre surveys in Ireland.

METHODS: The experiences of two national surveys were documented. RESULTS: Delays in processing ethics applications led to substantial delays in both surveys. Research ethics committees (RECs) assessed applications in an idiosyncratic manner.

CONCLUSION: In Ireland, there is currently no accepted mechanism for single location ethical approval for multicentre studies. Instead, they require separate approval from all participating centres. The challenges of this system of application to multiple committees are outlined in this paper, and possible solutions presented.

History

Comments

“This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Irish Journal of Medical Science. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02914559”.

Published Citation

Smith M, Doyle F, McGee HM, De La Harpe D. Ethical approval for national studies in Ireland: an illustration of current challenges. Irish Journal of Medical Science 2004;173(2):72-4.