title: Development of an accessible self-assessment tool for research ethics committees in developing countries.
abstract: In response to increased research being performed in developing countries, many research ethics committees (RECs) have been established, but the quality of their ethics review systems remains unknown. Evaluating the performance of an REC remains a challenging task. Absent an accreditation process, a self-assessment mechanism would provide RECs a way to review their policies and processes against recognized international standards. We describe a self-assessment tool that was developed and reviewed by REC members and researchers from the Middle East. This tool reflects pragmatic aspects of human subjects protection, is based on international standards, is straightforward in its completion, and its items are relevant to the administrative processes that exist in many RECs in the developing world.
authors.affiliation: National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hany
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sleem
authors.forename: Rehab Abdelhai Ahmed
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Abdelhai
authors.forename: Imad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al-Abdallat
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Naif
authors.forename: Hala Mansour
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Gabr
authors.forename: Et-Taher
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Kehil
authors.forename: Bakr Bin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Sadiq
authors.forename: Reham
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yousri
authors.forename: Dyaeldin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elsayed
authors.forename: Suad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sulaiman
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D003906:Developing Countries; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research; D032984:Ethics, Research / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008877:Middle East; D017009:Professional Autonomy