AAPM&R-RPC: Resident’s
Research Packet
The IRB
All
projects involving human subjects or animals (even surveys!) need to be
approved by your institution’s IRB (Institutional Review Board).
Institutional Review Boards are federally mandated committees which insure
that research conducted on both humans and animals is done safely and
ethically. The IRB is only interested in safety and ethics. It will not review
projects for the quality of research or give feedback in this regard.
Much unnecessary worrying has been done about the IRB process and forms. For
most projects, it’s simply a matter of submitting your proposal and filling
out a couple of forms. In many cases, you can even use an abbreviated one-page
form. If you are doing a human project that involves drugs, invasive
procedures (like EMG), or anything else with the least bit of risk to the
subject, you also need to submit a copy of your “informed consent form.”
Call the Institutional Review Board at your institution for the forms
and details.
The most
important thing to remember about IRB forms is to do them early so that IRB
approval doesn’t hold up your research. It can take over a month for the IRB
to process your project, so plan accordingly.
References
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