Expediting the institutional review board process for exercise protocols.

摘要

All researchers who use human participants in their study must obtain permission from their appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB). Once the IRB application enters the review process, a decision is made regarding the type of review it should receive: Level I administrative (exempt), Level II subcommittee (expedited), or Level III full board review. Typically, the time between application submission and receipt of IRB approval is extended as the level increases from administrative to full board review. This occurs because each successive level requires approval from more IRB members. These time intervals vary across academic institutions and can cause researcher frustration. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions on how researchers may help "expedite" the IRB review process if they have had difficulty getting exercise protocols reviewed efficiently at the most appropriate level. We do not discuss Level I review, as all research that involves physically active participants receives either Level II expedited or Level III full board review. The suggestions fall into three main categories: IRB membership, application and consent form documents, and guideline development.