IRB Advisor – April 1, 2007
April 1, 2007
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IRB refusal of behavioral study garners attention
A California IRB that had turned down a proposed study of cigarette sales in two San Francisco neighborhoods, instead found itself to be the object of scrutiny in the form of a journal article about its decision. -
Factors cited in IRB's decision to deny study
When the University of California, San Francisco's IRB denied a plan to have volunteers attempt to buy single cigarettes illegally at neighborhood stores, they cited the following concerns: -
Program educates parents about pediatric research
A web site designed by Boston's Children's Hospital to better educate parents about pediatric research has won the top award for best practice in human subjects protection by the Health Improvement Institute. -
Placebo use in pregnant herpes patients critiqued
The debate about the appropriateness of placebos in clinical trials recently spilled over into the pages of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, where two obstetricians and a representative of the national public-interest watchdog group Public Citizen wrote to complain about a published study of an antiviral drug used to prevent herpes outbreaks in pregnant women. -
Follow lessons from the trenches to improve your IRB
When faculty and researchers' anger and complaints rose heavily against a university's IRB, a new vice chancellor of health sciences took charge, hiring someone to answer the criticism through policy and personnel changes. -
Reduce complaints with new policies and procedures
The IRB at East Carolina University of Greenville, NC, was able to satisfy investigators' complaints and improve response times, partly through an overhaul of its policies and procedures. -
Online IRB expert offers examples of ethical issues
Many of the same ethical issues need to be considered for on-line research as with any other type of research, but there are a few differences, an expert says.