The ethics of research ethics committees.

摘要

Nurses and other health professionals are members of research ethics or institutional ethical review committees and engage in the scrutiny of research proposals. They may also submit their research proposals to these committees, seeking ethical approval to conduct their own research. These committees serve an important function in protecting the public from harmful or exploitative research; however, they are not immune from criticism. A colleague shared her experience of observing the work of a research ethics committee as it discussed a research proposal and interviewed the researcher. She used the graphic metaphor of 'sharks smelling blood and moving in for the kill'. Her view was that the committee was overly critical and too concerned with the scientific quality of the proposal rather than keeping the focus on ethical issues. Such criticism is not restricted to the UK and I have heard similar views in other countries. Research colleagues consider some committees (or groups who conduct ethical review of research proposals) to be obstructive, undermining the expertise of researchers and going beyond their remit of evaluating the ethical aspects of the proposed research. The ethical evaluation of research goes some way towards ensuring the safety and well-being of research participants and also researchers, but cannot guarantee it.