Inviting researchers to attend institutional review board (IRB) sessions designed to approve these same investigators’ requests to conduct research involving human subjects does not seem to affect the efficiency of the process one way or the other, a new study led by Johns Hopkins bioethicists suggests.
The findings are the result of one of the few studies to date that have sought to verify or challenge a fairly wide perception that inviting participation by principal investigators (PIs) could introduce more inefficiencies to what already is a lengthy and detailed process beset by scheduling problems, poor investigator-IRB relationships, and administrative delays. Some researchers have suggested an opposing view: that inviting PIs can improve efficiency.For the full story from the April issue of the APPI Bulletin, click here.For more information about the APPI Bulletin, click here.