Behind the scenes of research ethics committee oversight: a qualitative research study with committee chairs in the Middle East and North Africa region.
BMC Med Ethics
; 25(1): 86, 2024 Aug 08.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39118102
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Research cites shortcomings and challenges facing research ethics committees in many regions across the world including Arab countries. This paper presents findings from qualitative in-depth interviews with research ethics committee (REC) chairs to explore their views on the challenges they face in their work with the oversight of research involving human populations.METHODS:
Virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with chairs (n = 11) from both biomedical and/or social-behavioral research ethics committees in six countries, transcribed, coded and subject to thematic analysis for recurring themes.RESULTS:
Two sets of recurring themes impede the work of the committees and pose concerns for the quality of the research applications (1) procedures and committee level challenges such as heavy workload, variations in member qualification, impeding bureaucratic procedures, member overwork, and intersecting socio-cultural values in the review process; (2) inconsistencies in the researchers' competence in both applied research ethics and research methodology as revealed by their applications.CONCLUSIONS:
Narratives of REC chairs are important to shed light on experiences and issues that are not captured in surveys, adding to the body of knowledge with implications for the region, and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in other parts of the world. International research collaborations could benefit from the findings.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Comités de Ética en Investigación
/
Investigación Cualitativa
/
Ética en Investigación
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
/
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Med Ethics
Asunto de la revista:
ETICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Líbano