Challenges and Implementation Suggestions for Exemption from Ethical Review / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

To reduce the burden of researchers, Article 32 of the Measures for Ethical Review of Life Sciences and Medical Research Involving Human issued in February 2023 proposed that the review could be exempted. Normative exemption from review can not only relieve the burden of researchers, but also reduce the work pressure of the ethics committee, and devote limited time and energy to the review and supervision of high-risk research. This paper analyzed the four criteria for exemption from review first, and then summarized the situation of exemption from ethics review in the International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans and in the United States. In view of the fact that there are no relevant regulations on exemption from ethics review, though some medical and health institutions have implemented exemption from ethics review for some studies, the ethics committee often lacks standard operating procedures, corresponding documents, and experience for exemption from ethics review, researchers lack training for exemption from ethics review, and institutions have no supporting measures for exemption from review. To effectively implement the exemption from review, this paper proposed the following suggestions:developing standard operating procedures for exemption from review, and clarifying the review process, which can be simplified to secretary reviews, with senior secretaries or office directors judging whether they meet the exemption criteria, and the chairman reviewing and signing to convey the review decision. Refining the criteria that meet the exemption from ethics review, and providing cases and explanations as necessary, which will help researchers accurately understand the connotation of each criterion, and also provide reference for researchers to make their own preliminary judgments. Strengthening the training of researchers’ exemption from review criteria. The study should obtain the project proposal first, and provide scientific demonstration opinions. To explore the implementation of continuing review, institutions should accelerate the standardized construction of biological sample banks and databases to ensure the provision of compliant sources of biological samples and information data. Exemption from ethics review should not be abused, and the relationship between reducing the burden on researchers and ensuring the quality of ethical review should be balanced.