title: Variability of the institutional review board process within a national research network.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the variability of the institutional review board (IRB) process for a minimal risk multicenter study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 24 Continuity Research Network (CORNET) sites of the Academic Pediatric Association that participated in a cross-sectional study. Each site obtained individual institutional IRB approval. An anonymous questionnaire went to site investigators about the IRB process at their institution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two of 24 sites (92%) responded. Preparation time ranged from 1 to 20 hours, mean of 7.1 hours. Individuals submitting ≤3 IRB applications/year required more time for completion than those submitting >3/year (P < .05). Thirteen of 22 (59%) study sites received approval with "exempt" status, and 6 (27%) approved as "expedited" studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IRB experiences were highly variable across study sites. These findings indicate that multicenter research projects should anticipate barriers to timely study implementation. Improved IRB standardization or centralization for multicenter clinical studies would facilitate this type of practice-based clinical research.
authors.affiliation: 1Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Muhammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Michelle S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Barratt
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Krugman
authors.forename: Janet R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Serwint
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dumont-Driscoll
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010372:Pediatrics; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Continuity Research Network (CORNET); continuity clinic; institutional review board (IRB); practice-based research network (PBRN)