title: Assessing the need for a research ethics remediation program.
abstract: With supplement funding to the Washington University CTSA, the Restoring Professionalism and Integrity in Research (RePAIR) program was developed at Saint Louis University to meet the remediation needs of institutions nationwide regarding investigators who violate research regulations. With the aim of determining the frequency and kinds of wrongdoing at leading research institutions in the United States, as well as institutional responses and levels of interest in a formal remediation program, an online questionnaire was distributed by email to a research integrity officer (RIO) and institutional review board (IRB) chair at all medical schools and comprehensive doctoral institutions in the United States (N = 194). One hundred sixty-one individuals responded (44%) representing 66% of institutions. For those institutions that had both RIOs and IRB chairs responding, 96% had investigated at least one case over the past 2 years; the modal individual response was 3-5 cases, with a range from 0 to more than 16 cases. The most common forms of wrongdoing were violations of procedure, informed consent, research integrity (fabrication, falsification, plagiarism), privacy, and conflict of interest policies. Most RIOs and IRB chairs expressed interest in the RePAIR program, despite concerns about costs and faculty resistance.
authors.affiliation: Bander Center for Medical Business Ethics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA. jamesofthewood@gmail.com
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: DuBois
authors.forename: Emily E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chibnall
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment