Somewhere near the end of a consent form, script, recruitment letter, or brochure, researchers usually state that they will keep information “confidential.” But how is this promise evaluated by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and kept by the researchers? Given the researchers’ confidentiality plan, the IRB must assess the risks related to participation, including risks … Read more

Background. Over the past decades there have been tremendous efforts to improve the ethical conduct of research involving humans throughout the world. As a one-size-fits-all philosophy can no longer work, most countries have developed specific legal and ethical guidelines for research, tailored to their own context. We reviewed South African (SA) ethical guidelines and Health … Read more

The effective functioning of a research ethics committee (REC) can be evaluated using self-assessment tools. The Middle East Research Ethics Training Initiative (MERETI) tool can be used by one member, typically the Chair, to score an REC. The consistency of these scores across several members of an REC has never been evaluated. This study examined … Read more

One of the hallmarks of a profession is the ability to set boundaries and exclude others from practicing in the field; however in an increasingly interprofessional world, these boundaries can be difficult to navigate. Recently, the Supreme Court case, North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, reminded us that jurisdictional debates … Read more