Evaluation of Activities and Operations of Institutional Health Research Ethics Committees in Southeast Nigeria

BackgroundHealth Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) in Nigeria have increased in number in recent years but limited reports exist about their operations and activities. This study evaluated the HRECs in Southeast region of Nigeria to shed light on their functionality and standards.MethodsAll identifiable HRECs in Southeast Nigeria were surveyed with questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25 and the results were expressed as frequencies and percentages.ResultSoutheast Nigeria has 42 institutions expected by Nigerian law to have HRECs and 22 of 23 identifiable HRECs in these institutions responded to the survey. Eight of the 22 (36.4%) were registered with the regulatory body in Nigeria, six (27.3%) have FWA with the OHRP, 11 (50%) require training as precondition for membership and 8 (36.4%) require in-service training. Continuing oversight is done by 14 (63.6%) HRECs including site visits by 4 (28.6%). Application fees for ethics review are the only source of funds for 14 (63.6%) HRECs.ConclusionMore HRECs are needed in southeast Nigeria but greater emphasis should be on upgrading and standardizing existing ones.