Ethical Approval in Nepal: Barriers or Facilitators?

Area of Science:

• Medical ethics
• Health research governance

Background:

• Ethical approval is mandatory for human participant research to protect individuals and ensure scientific validity.
• Research ethics committees review potential risks, ensuring they are identified, minimized, and managed.
• Ethical approval is a prerequisite for publishing research findings in scientific journals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the Nepal Health Research Council's ethical review and approval process.
• To identify challenges faced by the Nepalese ethics committee and researchers.
• To support researchers and the Ethics Committee in promoting responsible health research in Nepal.

Main Methods:

• The paper reviews the ethical review and approval procedures of the Nepal Health Research Council.
• It examines challenges encountered by national and international researchers conducting health research in Nepal.

Main Results:

• The Nepal Health Research Council has an established ethical review and approval process.
• Key challenges include limited awareness of responsible research conduct, inadequate training, unclear guidelines, bureaucratic issues, and staff turnover.

Conclusions:

• Addressing identified challenges is essential for improving ethical review processes in Nepal.
• Enhanced support and training are needed for both researchers and the Ethics Committee.
• Promoting responsible conduct of health research is vital for scientific integrity and participant welfare in Nepal.