Reviewing the reviewers: the vague accountability of research ethics committees.
The role of research ethics committees (RECs) is currently strained by increases in the number of protocols that are in need of review, the scientific and funding complexities of the protocols, and a lack of clear standards for ethics assessment. This commentary describes the significance of these strains and calls for clarification of reviewer accountability. To maintain or, in many cases, to restore public and professional trust in the ethics of human research and in REC review of protocols, it is imperative that steps be taken to clarify the accountability of RECs and their individual members.
Shaul
Randi
R
Bioethicist, Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. r.zlotnik.shaul@utoronto.ca
D003422:Critical Care; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012941:Social Responsibility