Ethical Review Boards

Definition

Ethical review boards are committees established to ensure that research involving human participants is conducted ethically and responsibly. These boards evaluate research proposals to protect the rights, welfare, and dignity of participants, ensuring compliance with ethical standards and regulations.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Ethical review boards assess research proposals for potential risks to participants, ensuring that risks are minimized and justified by potential benefits.
2. These boards are composed of diverse members, including scientists, ethicists, and community representatives, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of ethical considerations.
3. Ethical review boards are required by law in many countries to oversee research involving human subjects, promoting accountability and transparency in research practices.
4. The approval of an ethical review board is often necessary before a research project can begin, ensuring that ethical guidelines are followed from the outset.
5. Ethical review boards also monitor ongoing research to ensure continued compliance with ethical standards throughout the study.

Review Questions

• How do ethical review boards contribute to the protection of human participants in research?
  • Ethical review boards play a crucial role in protecting human participants by evaluating research proposals for potential risks and ensuring that the rights and welfare of individuals are prioritized. They assess whether informed consent procedures are adequately described and if the benefits of the research outweigh any risks involved. By enforcing ethical standards, these boards help maintain trust in the research process and safeguard participants from harm.
• Evaluate the importance of diversity within ethical review boards and how it impacts their decision-making processes.
  • Diversity within ethical review boards enhances their decision-making processes by bringing together different perspectives and expertise. This variety helps ensure that the needs and concerns of diverse populations are considered during evaluations. A multidisciplinary approach fosters thorough discussions on ethical implications, ultimately leading to more balanced and well-informed decisions that reflect societal values and protect vulnerable groups.
• Critically analyze the role of ethical review boards in balancing scientific advancement with ethical considerations in human subject research.
  • Ethical review boards face the complex challenge of balancing the pursuit of scientific advancement with the imperative to protect human subjects. While scientific progress often necessitates innovative research methods that may involve risk, ethical review boards are tasked with ensuring that such risks are justified by substantial potential benefits. This analysis requires careful consideration of societal values, ethical principles, and regulatory guidelines, leading to decisions that promote responsible research practices while allowing beneficial advancements in science and medicine.

Related terms

Informed Consent: A process by which researchers provide potential participants with clear and comprehensive information about a study, allowing them to make an informed decision about their participation.

Institutional Review Board (IRB): A specific type of ethical review board that reviews research proposals within institutions, ensuring that they meet ethical standards and regulatory requirements.

Human Subject Research: Research involving living individuals from whom data is obtained through intervention or interaction, or identifiable private information.