Global comparison of research ethical review protocols: insights from an international research collaborative

Scientific ethical review is a cornerstone of conducting medical research. It aims to ensure human subject research is conducted in a manner that safeguards and respects participants’ rights and well-being. Research ethics committees (RECs) or institutional review boards (IRBs) are responsible for ethical evaluations before approval. This entails assessing potential risks and benefits associated with the research. For effective international research collaboration, researchers must be cognisant of participating countries’ ethical and regulatory requirements. Although these processes may be managed at various levels—local, regional or national; their implementation across countries often remains opaque and varies significantly. The British Urology Researchers in Training (BURST) Research Collaborative houses a network of international representatives to guide prospective study sites within their countries in acquiring ethical approval. We provide an overview of the ethical approval processes across 17 countries, emphasising on approvals for audits, observational studies, and randomised controlled trials (RCTs).