Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026
07:48
Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research
Published on: November 26, 2015
Local research ethics committees. Widely differing responses to a national survey protocol
U J Harries1, P H Fentem, W Tuxworth
1Public Health Research and Resource Centre, Salford.
Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London
|March 1, 1994
Summary
Local research ethics committees (LRECs) showed varied responses to a national health survey. This lack of uniformity can delay or hinder valuable research, with some committees not following established guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Medical research ethics
- Public health surveys
Background:
- Local research ethics committees (LRECs) provide ethical oversight for studies.
- National surveys require standardized ethical review processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To illustrate the diversity in responses from LRECs regarding a national physical activity, fitness, and health survey.
- To highlight inconsistencies in LREC operations and adherence to guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Submitted protocols for a national survey of physical activity, fitness, and health to 30 LRECs.
- Documented the variations in inquiries and requested modifications from each committee.
Main Results:
- All 30 LRECs eventually approved the survey protocols.
- Significant variation observed in LREC queries, ranging from immediate approval to requests for costly procedural changes.
- Some LRECs failed to adhere to guidelines from the Royal College of Physicians and Department of Health.
Conclusions:
- There is a notable lack of uniformity in the operational practices of LRECs.
- Inconsistent LREC operations can impede and delay important research.
- Adherence to established ethical guidelines by LRECs needs improvement.
More Related Videos
08:10Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa
Published on: February 2, 2018
06:16Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
Related Concept Videos
02:16Surveys
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
01:40Archival Research
Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...
02:20Longitudinal Research
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
01:56Ethics in Research
Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.
01:08Obedience
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...
01:22Bias
Bias refers to any tendency that prevents a question from being considered unprejudiced. In research, bias occurs when one outcome or answer is selected or encouraged over others in sampling or testing. Bias can occur during any research phase, including study design, data collection, analysis, and publication.
In statistics, a sampling bias is created when a sample is collected from a population, and some members of the population are not as likely to be chosen as others (remember, each member...
In statistics, a sampling bias is created when a sample is collected from a population, and some members of the population are not as likely to be chosen as others (remember, each member...