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Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants

SUMMARY

Bethesda, MarylandAugust 2001

The National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) was established by Executive Order 12975,signed by President Clinton on October 3, 1995. NBAC’s functions are defined as follows:

a) NBAC shall provide advice and make recommendations to the National Science and TechnologyCouncil and to other appropriate government entities regarding the following matters:

1) the appropriateness of departmental, agency, or other governmental programs, policies,assignments, missions, guidelines, and regulations as they relate to bioethical issues arisingfrom research on human biology and behavior; and

2) applications, including the clinical applications, of that research.

b) NBAC shall identify broad principles to govern the ethical conduct of research, citing specificprojects only as illustrations for such principles.

c) NBAC shall not be responsible for the review and approval of specific projects.

d) In addition to responding to requests for advice and recommendations from the National Scienceand Technology Council, NBAC also may accept suggestions of issues for consideration fromboth the Congress and the public. NBAC also may identify other bioethical issues for thepurpose of providing advice and recommendations, subject to the approval of the NationalScience and Technology Council.

National Bioethics Advisory Commission6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 700, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7979

Telephone: 301-402-4242 • Fax: 301-480-6900 • Website: www.bioethics.gov

ISBN 1-931022-18-6

National Bioethics Advisory Commission

Patricia BacklarResearch Associate Professor of BioethicsDepartment of PhilosophyPortland State UniversityAssistant DirectorCenter for Ethics in Health CareOregon Health Sciences UniversityPortland, Oregon

Arturo Brito, M.D.Assistant Professor of Clinical PediatricsUniversity of Miami School of MedicineMiami, Florida

Alexander Morgan Capron, LL.B.Henry W. Bruce Professor of LawUniversity Professor of Law and MedicineCo-Director, Pacific Center for Health Policy and EthicsUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California

Eric J. Cassell, M.D., M.A.C.P.Clinical Professor of Public HealthWeill Medical College of Cornell UniversityNew York, New York

R. Alta Charo, J.D.Professor of Law and BioethicsLaw School and Medical SchoolUniversity of WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin

James F. Childress, Ph.D.Kyle Professor of Religious StudiesProfessor of Medical EducationDirector, Institute for Practical EthicsDepartment of Religious StudiesUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia

David R. Cox, M.D., Ph.D.Scientific Director Perlegen Sciences Santa Clara, California

Rhetaugh Graves Dumas, Ph.D., R.N.Vice Provost Emerita, Dean Emerita, and

Lucille Cole Professor of NursingUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan

Laurie M. Flynn*Senior Research and Policy AssociateDepartment of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryColumbia UniversityNew York, New York

Carol W. Greider, Ph.D.Professor of Molecular Biology and GeneticsDepartment of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, Maryland

Steven H. HoltzmanChief Business OfficerMillennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Cambridge, Massachusetts

Bette O. KramerFounding PresidentRichmond Bioethics ConsortiumRichmond, Virginia

Bernard Lo, M.D.DirectorProgram in Medical EthicsProfessor of MedicineUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, California

Lawrence H. Miike, M.D., J.D.Kaneohe, Hawaii

Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D.President The Hastings CenterGarrison, New York

William C. Oldaker, LL.B.Senior PartnerOldaker & Harris, L.L.P.Washington, D.C.Co-Founder and General CounselNeuralStem Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.College Park, Maryland

Diane Scott-Jones, Ph.D.ProfessorPsychology DepartmentBoston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts

*Resigned on May 10, 2001

Harold T. Shapiro, Ph.D., ChairPresident Emeritus and Professor of Economics and Public AffairsThe Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International AffairsPrinceton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey

National Bioethics Advisory Commission Staff and Consultants

Executive DirectorEric M. Meslin, Ph.D.*

Project DirectorMarjorie A. Speers, Ph.D.

Research Staff

Douglas Berger, M.Litt., Program Analyst** Glen Drew, M.S., J.D., Senior Research Policy AnalystElisa Eiseman, Ph.D., Senior Research AnalystEllen L. Gadbois, Ph.D., Senior Policy AnalystStu Kim, J.D., Program Analyst***Kerry Jo Lee, Program Analyst* Ayodeji Marquis, Intern (June–August 2000) Debra McCurry, M.S., Information SpecialistAlice K. Page, J.D., M.P.H., Senior Policy Analyst*

Consultants

Burness Communications, Communications ConsultantSara Davidson, M.A., EditorLiza Dawson, Ph.D., Research Consultant

(December 2000–March 2001)Debra DeBruin, Ph.D., Bioethics Consultant

(July–December 2000)Kathi E. Hanna, M.S., Ph.D., Editorial ConsultantThe Hill Group, Meeting ConsultantTamara Lee, Graphic Designer

Administrative Staff

Nicole Baker, Administrative TechnicianJody Crank, Assistant to the Executive DirectorEvadne Hammett, Administrative OfficerMargaret C. Quinlan, Office ManagerSherrie Senior, Secretary

* Until July 2001** Until June 2001***Until November 2000

Introduction

Protecting the rights and welfare of those who volunteerto participate in research is a fundamental tenet of

ethical research. A great deal of progress has been madein recent decades in changing the culture of research toincorporate more fully this ethical responsibility into protocol design and implementation. In the 1960s and1970s, a series of scandals concerning social scienceresearch and medical research conducted with the sickand the illiterate underlined the need to systematically andrigorously protect individuals in research (Beecher 1966;Faden and Beauchamp 1986; Jones 1981; Katz 1972;Tuskegee Syphilis Study Ad Hoc Advisory Panel 1973).However, the resulting system of protections that evolvedout of these rising concerns—although an improvementover past practices—is no longer sufficient. It is a patch-work arrangement associated with the receipt of federalresearch funding or the regulatory review and approval ofnew drugs and devices. In addition, it depends on the vol-untary cooperation of investigators, research institutions,and professional societies across a wide array of researchdisciplines. Increasingly, the current system is beingviewed as uneven in its ability to simultaneously protectthe rights and welfare of research participants and promoteethically responsible research.

Research involving human participants has become avast academic and commercial activity, but this country’ssystem for the protection of human participants has notkept pace with that growth. On the one hand, the systemis too narrow in scope to protect all participants, while onthe other hand, it is often so unnecessarily bureaucraticthat it stifles responsible research. Although some reformsby particular federal agencies and professional societies

are under way,1 it will take the efforts of both the executive and legislative branches of government to putin place a streamlined, effective, responsive, and com-prehensive system that achieves the protection of allhuman participants and encourages ethically responsibleresearch.

Clearly, scientific investigation has extended andenhanced the quality of life and increased our under-standing of ourselves, our relationships with others, andthe natural world. It is one of the foundations of our society’s material, intellectual, and social progress. Formany citizens, scientific discoveries have alleviated thesuffering caused by disease or disability. Nonetheless, theprospect of gaining such valuable scientific knowledgeneed not and should not be pursued at the expense of human rights or human dignity. In the words of philosopher Hans Jonas, “progress is an optional goal,not an unconditional commitment, and...its tempo...compulsive as it may become, has nothing sacred aboutit” (Jonas 1969, 245).

Since the 1974 formation of the NationalCommission for the Protection of Human Subjects ofBiomedical and Behavioral Research and the activities inthe early 1980s of the President’s Commission for theStudy of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedicaland Behavioral Research, American leaders have consis-tently tried to enhance the protections for humanresearch participants. The research community has, inlarge part, supported the two essential protections forhuman participants: independent review of researchto assess risks and potential benefits and an opportu-nity for people to voluntarily and knowledgeably decidewhether to participate in a particular research protocol.

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Protecting Research Participants—A Time for Change

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Summary

The charter of the National Bioethics AdvisoryCommission (NBAC), a presidential commission createdin 1995, makes clear the Commission’s focus: “As a firstpriority, NBAC shall direct its attention to considerationof protection of the rights and welfare of human researchsubjects.” In our first five years, we focused on severalissues concerning research involving human participants,issuing five reports and numerous recommendationsthat, when viewed as a whole, reflect our evolvingappreciation of the numerous and complex challengesfacing the implementation and oversight of any systemof protections.2 The concerns and recommendationsaddressed in these reports reflect our dual commitmentto ensuring the protection of those who volunteer forresearch while supporting the continued advance of science and understanding of the human condition. Thisreport views the oversight system as a whole, provides a rationale for change, and offers an interrelated set ofrecommendations to improve the protection of humanparticipants and enable the oversight system to operatemore efficiently.

Respecting Research Participants

Whether testing a new medical treatment, interviewingpeople about their personal habits, studying how peoplethink and feel, or observing how they live within groups,research seeks to learn something new about the humancondition. Unfortunately, history has also demonstratedthat researchers sometimes treat participants not as persons but as mere objects of study. As Jonas observed:“Experimentation was originally sanctioned by naturalscience. There it is performed on inanimate objects, andthis raises no moral questions. But as soon as animate,feeling beings become the subject of experiment...thisinnocence of the search for knowledge is lost and questions of conscience arise” (Jonas 1969, 219).

How, then, should people be studied? For over half acentury, since the revelations of medical torture underthe guise of medical experimentation were described atthe Nuremberg Trials,3 it has been agreed that peopleshould participate in research only when the studyaddresses important questions, its risks are justifiable,and an individual’s participation is voluntary andinformed.

The principles underlying the Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research (Belmont Report) (NationalCommission 1979) have served for over 20 years as aleading source of guidance regarding the ethical standards that should govern research with human participants in the United States. The Belmont Reportemphasized that research must respect the autonomy of participants, must be fair in both conception andimplementation, and must maximize potential benefitswhile minimizing possible harms. The report’s recom-mendations provided a coherent rationale for the federalpolicies and rules that created the current U.S. system ofdecentralized, independent research review coupled withsome degree of federal oversight. But although theBelmont Report is rightly hailed as a key source of guid-ance on informed consent, assessment of risk, and theinjustice of placing individuals (and groups) in situationsof vulnerability, the principles the report espouses andthe regulations adopted as federal policy 20 years agohave often fallen short in achieving their overarching goal of protecting human research participants. More-over, since the Belmont Report was published, additionalconcerns have arisen that require much-needed attentiontoday.

Ensuring Independent Review of Risksand Potential Benefits

A central protection for research participants is the guarantee that someone other than the investigator will assess the risks of the proposed research. No oneshould participate in research unless independentreview concludes that the risks are reasonable inrelation to the potential benefits. In the United States,the Institutional Review Board, or IRB, has been theprincipal structure responsible for conducting suchreviews.

Independent review of research is essential because itimproves the likelihood that decisions are made free frominappropriate influences that could distort the centraltask of evaluating risks and potential benefits. Certainly,reviewers should not have a financial interest in thework, but social factors may be just as crucial. Reviewersmay feel constrained because they are examining the


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work of their colleagues or their supervisors, and theyshould not participate in protocol review unless they areable to separate these concerns from their task. Allreviewers who themselves are members of the researchcommunity should recognize that their familiarity withresearch and (perhaps) their predilection to supportresearch are factors that could distort their judgment.Truly independent and sensitive review requires moreinvolvement of individuals drawn from the ranks ofpotential research participants or those who can adequately represent the interests of potential researchparticipants.

A critical purpose of independent review is to ensurethat risks are reasonable in relation to potential personaland societal benefits. This is a precondition to offeringpeople the opportunity to volunteer, since informed consent alone cannot justify enrollment. When reviewedfor risks and potential benefits, research studies must beevaluated in their entirety. Studies often include differentcomponents, however, and the risks and potential benefits of each should also be examined separately, lestthe possibility of great benefit or monetary enticement in one component cause potential participants or IRBs tominimize or overlook risk in another. No matter whatpotential benefit is offered to individual participants orsociety at large, the possibility of benefit from one element of a study should not be used to justify otherwiseunacceptable elements.

In our view, IRBs should appreciate that for somecomponents of a study, participants might incur riskswith no personal potential benefit, for example, when anondiagnostic survey is included among the componentsof a psychotherapy protocol or when placebos are givento some participants in a drug trial. For these elements,there should be some limitation on the amount of socialand physical risk that can be imposed, regardless of theparticipants’ willingness to participate or the monetary(or other) enticement being offered. Further, the possi-bility of some benefit from one element of a study shouldnot be used to justify otherwise unacceptable elements ofresearch whose potential benefits, if any, accrue, solely tosociety at large. If aspects of a study present unacceptablerisks, protocols should not be approved until these ele-ments are eliminated. If removing the risky component

would impair the study as a whole, then the entire studyshould be redesigned so that each of its elements presentsrisks that are reasonable in relation to potential benefits.

Other parts of studies can obscure risks, such as whenstandard medical interventions are compared in a patientpopulation, leading some participants and researchers todiscount the risks because they are associated withknown therapies. It is essential that participants andinvestigators not be led to believe that participating inresearch is tantamount to being in a traditional thera-peutic relationship. Regardless of whether there is thepossibility or even the likelihood of direct benefit fromparticipation in research, such participation still alters therelationship between a professional and the participantby introducing another loyalty beyond that to the partic-ipant, to wit, loyalty to doing good science. It is too oftenforgotten that even though the researchers may considerparticipants’ interests to be important, they also have aserious, and perhaps conflicting, obligation to science.

Years of experience with the current system of independent review have demonstrated that there areenduring questions about how to arrive at such impartialjudgments and how to go about deciding when potentialbenefits justify risks that are incurred solely by partici-pants or the community from which they come. In recentyears, increasing strains on the system have underminedthe practice of independent review. IRBs are over-burdened by the volume of research coming before them,a strain that is compounded by concerns about trainingof IRB members and possible conflicts of interest. Inaddition, the constantly changing nature of research challenges existing notions about what constitutes risksand potential benefits.

Because IRBs are so central to the current oversightsystem, they need better guidance on how to review andmonitor research, how to assess potential benefits toresearch participants and their communities, and how todistinguish among levels of risk. This report providessuch guidance in the following areas: determining thetype of review necessary for minimal risk research; ensur-ing that research participants are able to make voluntarydecisions and are appropriately informed prior to givingconsent; providing adequate protections for privacy andconfidentiality; identifying appropriate measures needed

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Summary

when participants are susceptible to coercion or are other-wise placed in vulnerable situations; and monitoringongoing research. In addition, the report recommendsthat IRB members and staff complete educational andcertification programs on research ethics before beingpermitted to review research studies.

Obtaining Voluntary Informed Consent

Even when risks are reasonable, however, no one shouldparticipate in research without giving voluntaryinformed consent (except in the case of an appro-priate authorized representative or a waiver). Inves-tigators must make appropriate disclosures andensure that participants have a good understandingof the information and their choices, not only at the time of enrollment, but throughout the research.Engaging in this process is one of the best waysresearchers can demonstrate their concern and respectfor those they aim to enroll in a study. It also serves as thebest means for those who do not wish to participate toprotect themselves.4

Recommendations from our previous reports are rein-forced in this report, which emphasizes the process ofproviding information and ensuring comprehensionrather than the form of documentation of the decision togive consent. Both the information and the way it is con-veyed—while meeting full disclosure requirements—must be tailored to meet the needs of the participants inthe particular research context. In addition, documenta-tion requirements must be adapted for varying researchsettings, and the criteria for deciding when informedconsent is not necessary must be clarified so that partici-pants’ rights and welfare are not endangered.

The decision to participate in research must not onlybe informed, it must be voluntary. Even when risks arereasonable and informed consent is obtained, it maynonetheless be wrong to solicit certain people as partici-pants. Those who are not fully capable of resisting therequest to become participants—such as prisoners andother institutionalized or otherwise vulnerable persons—should not be enrolled in studies merely because they areeasily accessible or convenient. This historic emphasis onprotecting people from being exploited as research

participants, however, has failed to anticipate a timewhen, at least for some areas of medical research, peoplewould be demanding to be included in certain studiesbecause they might provide the only opportunity forreceiving medical care for life-threatening diseases.

Making Research Inclusive WhileProtecting Individuals Categorized asVulnerable

Vulnerable individuals need additional protection inresearch. Although certain individuals and populationsare more vulnerable as human participants than others,people whose circumstances render them vulnerableshould not be arbitrarily excluded from research for this reason alone. This includes those viewed as moreopen to harm (e.g., children), more subject to coercion(e.g., institutionalized persons), more “complicated”(e.g., women, who are considered more biologically com-plicated than men), or more inconvenient (e.g., womenwith small children, who are viewed as less reliableresearch participants due to conflicting demands ontime). Calling competent people intrinsically “vulnerable”can be both insulting and misleading. It is not their gender or other group designation that exposes them toinjury or coercion, but rather their situation that can beexploited by ethically unacceptable research. That is, it istheir circumstances, which are situational, that create thevulnerability. At other times it is the intrinsic characteris-tics of the person—for example, children or those withcertain mental or developmental disorders—that makethem generally vulnerable in the research setting.

The response, whenever possible, should not be toexclude people from research, but instead to change theresearch design so that it does not create situations inwhich people are unnecessarily harmed. To do otherwiseis to risk developing knowledge that helps only a subsetof the population. To the extent that the results are notgeneralizable, the potential societal benefits that justifydoing the research are attenuated. Research participantsmust be treated equally and with respect. Wheneverpossible, research should be designed to encouragethe participation of all groups while protecting theirrights and welfare.


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To accomplish this, we recommend that rather thanfocusing primarily on categorizing groups as vulnerable,investigators and IRBs should also recognize and avoidsituations that create susceptibility to harm or coercion.Such situations may be as varied as patients beingrecruited by their own physicians; sick and desperatepatients seeking enrollment in clinical trials; participantsbeing recruited by those who teach or employ them; or studies involving participants with any characteristicthat may make them less likely to receive care and respectfrom others (e.g., convicted criminals or intravenous drugusers). In these circumstances, rather than excludingwhole groups of people, researchers should design studiesthat reduce the risk of exploitation, whether by using adifferent method of recruitment, by using a recruiter whoshares the participants’ characteristics, or by some othertechnique. This is not always easy. It requires researchersto consider carefully their research design and the poten-tial pool of participants. At times, it will mean anticipatingthat otherwise seemingly benign situations may becomemore complex because a particular participant or groupof participants will be unusually susceptible to harm ormanipulation in this situation. At other times, the natureof the vulnerability may require using a different researchdesign. Ethical research does not avoid complexity.Rather, it acknowledges the full range and realities of thehuman condition.

Compensating for Harms

Despite all these precautions, however, some researchparticipants might be harmed. Participants who areharmed as a direct result of research should be caredfor and compensated. This is simple justice. The factthat they offered to participate in no way alters the viewthat mere decency calls for us to take care of these volunteers. Unfortunately, this is a greater challenge thanit might appear. For those who endure harm while par-ticipating in research, it is often very difficult to separateinjuries traceable to the research from those that stemfrom the underlying disease or social condition beingstudied. For others, appropriate care and compensationwould be far beyond the means of the researchers, theirsponsors, and their institutions. Two decades ago, the

President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problemsin Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Researchcalled for pilot studies of compensation programs—arecommendation that was not pursued. It is time toreconsider the need for some type of compensation program and to explore the possible mechanisms thatcould be used were one to be adopted. Regardless of individual motives, research participants are providing aservice for society, and justice requires that they betreated with great respect and receive appropriate care for any related injuries. It should always be rememberedthat it is a privilege for any researcher to involve human participants in his or her research.

Establishing a Comprehensive,Effective, and Streamlined System

In the United States, government regulations, professionalguidelines, and the general principles highlighted in theBelmont Report (1979) form the basis of the current sys-tem of protections. In the earliest stages of adoption, thefederal regulations were fragmented and confusing. Eventoday, they apply to most—but not all—research fundedor conducted by the federal government, but have incon-sistent and sometimes no direct application to researchfunded or conducted by state governments, foundations,or industry. They apply to medical drugs and devices andvaccines approved for interstate sale, but not to somemedical innovations that would remain wholly withinstate borders. And they apply to other research onlywhen the investigators and their institutions volunteer toabide by the rules.

A comprehensive and effective oversight system is essential to uniformly protect the rights and welfare of participants while permitting ethically andscientifically responsible research to proceed withoutundue delay. A fundamental flaw in the current over-sight system is the ethically indefensible difference in theprotection afforded participants in federally sponsoredresearch and those in privately sponsored research thatfalls outside the jurisdiction of the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA). As a result, people have been sub-jected to experimentation without their knowledge orinformed consent in fields as diverse as plastic surgery,

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Summary

psychology, and infertility treatment. This is wrong.Participants should be protected from avoidableharm, whether the research is publicly or privatelyfinanced. We have repeated this assertion throughoutour deliberations, and recommendations in this regardappear in four previous reports (NBAC 1997; NBAC1999a; NBAC 1999b; NBAC 2001).

In this report, we recommend that the protections ofan oversight system extend to the entire private sector forboth domestic and international research. A credible,effective oversight system must apply to all research, andall people are entitled to the dignity that comes withfreely and knowingly choosing whether to participate inresearch, as well as to protection from undue researchrisks. This is consistent with our 1997 resolution that no one should be enrolled in research absent the twin protections of independent review and voluntaryinformed consent.

Even when current protections apply, the interpre-tation of the federal regulations can vary unpredictably,depending on which federal agency oversees the research.Even the most basic, common elements of the federalrules took a decade to develop into regulations, becausethere was no single authority within the government tofacilitate and demand cooperation and consistency. Therestill is no such single authority.5 This has slowed the dif-fusion of basic protections and made it almost impossibleto develop consistent interpretations of the basic protec-tions or those relevant to especially problematic research,such as studies involving children or the decisionallyimpaired. Nor has there been a unified response toemerging areas of research, such as large-scale work onmedical records and social science databases or on storedhuman biological materials.

Today’s research protection system cannot reactquickly to new developments. Efforts to develop rulesfor special situations, such as research on those who can no longer make decisions for themselves, have lan-guished for decades in the face of bureaucratic hurdles,and there is no reason to believe that efforts to overseeother emerging research areas will be any more efficient.In addition, the current system leaves people vulnerableto new, virtually uncontrolled experimentation inemerging fields, such as some aspects of reproductivemedicine and genetic research.

Indeed, some areas of research are not only uncon-trolled, they are almost invisible. In an information age,poor management of research using medical records,human tissue, or personal interview data could lead toemployment and insurance discrimination, social stigma-tization, or even criminal prosecution.6 The privacy andconfidentiality concerns raised by this research are real,but the federal response has often been illusory. There isalmost no guidance and certainly no coordination onthese topics. The time has come to have a single sourceof guidance for these emerging areas, one that would bebetter positioned to effect change across all divisions ofthe government and private sector, as well as to facilitatedevelopment of specialized review bodies, as needed.

In this report we propose a new independent over-sight office that would have clear authority over allother segments of the federal government and extendprotections to the entire private sector for bothdomestic and international research. A single officewould decide how to introduce consistency or reforms,and only that office would develop mechanisms to pro-vide specialized review when needed. We recognize thechallenges to such a proposal. For example, an inde-pendent office might lack the political support accordedan existing cabinet-level department. Although assigningone department, such as the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the role of “first among equals” would allow it to advocate forcefully for uniformrules across the government, without special provisions it would not have the authority to require other depart-ments to comply, nor is it certain to escape the tempta-tion to develop rules premised on a traditional,biomedical model rather than the wider range of researchto be covered.

Federal research protections should be uniformacross all government agencies, academe, and the private sector, but they should be flexible enough tobe applied in widely different research settings or toemerging areas of research. Furthermore, any centralcoordinating body should be open to public input, havesignificant political or legal authority over researchinvolving human participants—whether in the public orprivate sector—and have the support of the executiveand legislative branches of government.


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Education as the Key to PromotingLocal Responsibility

Currently, federal protections depend on a decentralizedoversight system involving IRBs, institutions, investigators,sponsors, and participants. We endorse the spirit andintent of this approach, specifically its contention thatthe ethical obligation to protect participants lies firstwith researchers, their sponsors, and the IRBs thatreview their research. Protecting research participants is a duty that researchers, research institutions, and sponsors cannot delegate completely to others or to thegovernment. In addition, merely adhering to a set of rulesand regulations does not fulfill this duty. Rather, it isaccomplished by acting within a culture of concern andrespect for research participants.

It is unrealistic to think that ethical obligations can befully met without guidance and resources. To helpresearchers and IRBs fulfill their responsibilities, the federal government should promote the developmentof education, certification, and accreditation systemsthat apply to all researchers, all IRB members andstaff, and all institutions. These tools should helpresearchers craft and IRBs review studies that pose fewproblems and to know when their work requires spe-cial oversight. Today, investigators and IRBs are rightlyconfused over issues as basic as which areas of inquiryshould be reviewed and who constitutes a human participant.

Education is the foundation of the oversight systemand is essential to protecting research participants. In allof our reports, we have highlighted the need to educateall those involved in research with human participants,including the public, investigators, IRB members, insti-tutions, and federal agencies. In Cloning Human Beings(1997), we recommended federal support of public education in biomedical sciences that increasingly affectour cultural values. In Research Involving Persons withMental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity(1998), we called for practice guidelines and ethics edu-cation on special concerns regarding this population. InEthical and Policy Issues in International Research: ClinicalTrials in Developing Countries (2001), we recommended

measures to help developing countries build their capacity for designing and conducting clinical trials, forreviewing the ethics and science of proposed research,and for using research results after a trial is completed.

In this report, we again acknowledge the inadequacyof educational programs on research ethics in the UnitedStates. This deficiency begins at the highest level withinthe federal oversight system and extends to the local level at individual institutions. We recommend thatinvestigators and IRB members and staff successfullycomplete educational programs on research ethics andbecome certified before they perform or review research,that research ethics be taught to the next generation of scientists, and that research ethics be included in continuing education programs.

Clarifying the Scope of Oversight

Many areas of scientific inquiry are “research,” and manyof these involve human participants, but only some needfederal oversight, while others might be better regulatedthrough professional ethics, social custom, or other stateand federal law. For example, certain types of surveys andinterviews are considered research, but they can be wellmanaged to avoid harms without federal oversight, as therisks are few and participants are well situated to decidefor themselves whether to participate. On the other hand,certain studies of medical records, databases, and dis-carded surgical tissue are often perceived as somethingother than human research, even when the informationretrieved is traceable to an identifiable person. Suchresearch does need oversight to avoid putting people atrisk of identity disclosure or discrimination without theirknowledge. Federal policies should clearly identifythe kinds of research that are subject to review andthe types of research participants to whom protec-tions should apply. When research poses significantrisks or when its risks are imposed on participants without their knowledge, it clearly requires oversight.However, meaningless or overly rigid oversight engendersdisdain on the part of researchers, creates an impossibleand pointless workload for IRBs, and deters ethicallysound research from going forward.

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Summary

Ensuring That the Level of ReviewCorresponds to the Level of Risk

Even within areas of research that need oversight, manyindividual studies will involve little or no risk to parti-cipants. Although current federal policies allow for some distinction between research involving minimalrisk and research involving more than minimal risk, thedistinction operates mostly in terms of how the researchwill be reviewed—that is, how procedures are to be followed. But the distinction should be based on how theresearch is pursued, how the participants are treated, and how the work is monitored over time. Overall, theemphasis should be on knowing how to protect partici-pants rather than on knowing how to navigate researchregulations. Instead of focusing so much on the periodduring which a research design is reviewed, oversightshould also include an ongoing system of education andcertification that helps researchers to anticipate and min-imize research risks. Oversight should also make it easierfor researchers to collaborate with their colleagues hereand abroad without the burden of redundant reviews.Research review and monitoring should be intensifiedas the risk and complexity of the research increase

and at all times should emphasize protecting partici-pants rather than following rigid rules. In addition,the review process should facilitate rather than hindercollaborative research among institutions and acrossnational boundaries, provided that participants areprotected.

Providing Resources for the OversightSystem

Creating a system that protects the rights and welfare of participants and facilitates responsible researchdemands political and financial support from the federalgovernment as well as the presence of a central coordi-nating body to provide guidance and oversee educationand accreditation efforts. The oversight system shouldbe adequately funded at all levels to ensure thatresearch continues in a manner that demonstratesrespect and concern for the interests of research participants.


This report proposes 30 recommendations for chang-ing the oversight system at the national and local

levels to ensure that all research participants receive theappropriate protections. The adoption of these recom-mendations, which are directed at all who are involved inthe research enterprise, will not only lead to better pro-tection for the participants of research, but will also serveto promote ethically sound research while reducingunnecessary bureaucratic burdens. Achieving these goalswill, in turn, restore the respect of investigators for thesystem used to oversee research, support the public’strust in the research enterprise, and enhance publicenthusiasm for all research involving human beings.

Scope and Structure of the OversightSystem

The entitlements due to all research participants of aprior independent review of risks and potential benefitsand the opportunity to exercise voluntary informed con-sent are the most basic and essential protections for allresearch participants. However, not all research partici-pants receive these entitlements and not all are protectedby the existing oversight system. The commitment toprotect participants should not be voluntary, nor shouldrequirements be in place for only some human research.Extending current protections to all research, whether

Summary of Recommendations


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publicly or privately funded, and making uniform all federal regulations and guidance cannot be accomplishedwithin the current oversight system, in which no entity hasthe authority to act on behalf of all research participants.Thus, to facilitate the extension of the same protectionsto all humans participating in research, a unified, com-prehensive federal policy promulgated and interpretedby a single office is needed.

Recommendation 2.1: The federal oversight system should protect the rights and welfare of human research participants by requiring 1) independent review of risks and potential benefits and 2) voluntary informed consent.Protection should be available to participants inboth publicly and privately sponsored research.Federal legislation should be enacted to providesuch protection.

Recommendation 2.2: To ensure the protection ofthe rights and welfare of all research participants,federal legislation should be enacted to create asingle, independent federal office, the NationalOffice for Human Research Oversight (NOHRO),to lead and coordinate the oversight system. Thisoffice should be responsible for policy develop-ment, regulatory reform (see Recommendation2.3), research review and monitoring, researchethics education, and enforcement.

Recommendation 2.3: A unified, comprehensivefederal policy embodied in a single set of regula-tions and guidance should be created that wouldapply to all types of research involving humanparticipants (see Recommendation 2.2).

Determining whether particular research activitiesinvolving human participants should be subject to a fed-eral oversight system has been a source of confusion forsome time. No regulatory definition of covered researchcan be provided that has the sensitivity and specificityrequired to ensure that all research activities that includehuman participants that should be subject to oversightare always included and all activities that should beexcluded from oversight protections are always excluded.Clarification and interpretation of the definition of whatconstitutes research involving human participants will

invariably be required if the oversight system is to workeffectively and efficiently. Moreover, there will always becases over which experts disagree about the research status of a particular activity. One of the important lead-ership roles the proposed oversight office should fulfill is that of providing guidance on determining whether an activity is research involving human participants andis therefore subject to oversight.

Recommendation 2.4: Federal policy should cover research involving human participants that entails systematic collection or analysis ofdata with the intent to generate new knowledge.Research should be considered to involve humanparticipants when individuals 1) are exposed tomanipulations, interventions, observations, orother types of interactions with investigators or 2) are identifiable through research using biological materials, medical and other records,or databases. Federal policy also should identifythose research activities that are not subject tofederal oversight and outline a procedure fordetermining whether a particular study is or isnot covered by the oversight system.

The proposed federal office should initiate a processin which representatives from various disciplines andprofessions (e.g., social science, humanities, business,public health, and health services) contribute to thedevelopment of the definition and the list of researchactivities subject to the oversight system.

Level of Review

Although the definition of research involving human participants should be applied to all disciplines, therisks differ both qualitatively and quantitatively acrossthe spectrum of research. Therefore, the oversight systemshould ensure that all covered research is subject to basicprotections—such as a process of informed consent—with the exceptions of the specified conditions for whichthese protections can be waived, including protection ofprivacy and confidentiality and minimization of risks.Because the proposed oversight system may includemore research activities, it is more critical than ever thatreview mechanisms and criteria for various types of

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Summary

research are suited to the nature of the research and thelikely risks involved. More specific guidance is neededfor review of different types of research, including appro-priate review criteria and IRB composition. For example,procedures other than full board review could be used forminimal risk research, and national level reviews couldsupplement local IRB review of research involving novelor controversial ethical issues.

Recommendation 2.5: Federal policy shouldrequire research ethics review that is commen-surate with the nature and level of risk involved.Standards and procedures for review should distinguish between research that poses minimalrisk and research that poses more than minimalrisk. Minimal risk should be defined as the probability and magnitude of harms that are normally encountered in the daily lives of thegeneral population (see Recommendation 4.2). In addition, the federal government should facilitate the creation of special, supplementaryreview bodies for research that involves novel or controversial ethical issues.

Education, Certification, andAccreditation

Protecting the rights and welfare of research participantsis the major ethical obligation of all parties involved inthe oversight system, and to provide these protections, all parties must be able to demonstrate competence inresearch ethics—that is, conducting, reviewing, or over-seeing research involving human participants in anethically sound manner. Such competence entails notonly being knowledgeable about relevant research ethics issues and federal policies, but also being able toidentify, disclose, and manage conflicting interests forinstitutions, investigators, or IRBs. Finally, the oversightsystem must include a sufficiently robust monitoringprocess to provide remedies for lapses by institutions,IRBs, and investigators.

Recommendation 3.1: All institutions and sponsorsengaged in research involving human participantsshould provide educational programs in researchethics to appropriate institutional officials, inves-tigators, Institutional Review Board members,

and Institutional Review Board staff. Amongother issues, these programs should emphasizethe obligations of institutions, sponsors,Institutional Review Boards, and investigators to protect the rights and welfare of participants.Colleges and universities should include researchethics in curricula related to research methods,and professional societies should include researchethics in their continuing education programs.

Recommendation 3.2: The federal government, in partnership with academic and professionalsocieties, should enhance research ethics education related to protecting human research participants and stimulate the development ofinnovative educational programs. Professionalsocieties should be consulted so that educationalprograms are designed to meet the needs of allwho conduct and review research.

Educating all parties in research ethics and humanparticipant protections is effective only when it results inthe necessary competence for designing and conductingethically sound research, including analyzing, inter-preting, and disseminating results in an ethically sound manner. Such competence, however, cannot be assumedto follow from exposure to an educational course or pro-gram. As the complexion of research continues to changeand as technology advances, new and challenging ethicaldilemmas will emerge. And, as more people becomeinvolved in research as investigators or in roles that arespecifically related to oversight, it becomes increasinglyimportant for all parties to be able to demonstratecompetence in the ethics of research involving humanparticipants.

Although accreditation and certification do notalways guarantee the desired outcomes, these programs,which generally involve experts and peers developing a set of standards that represents a consensus of bestpractices, can be helpful in improving performance.Therefore, the choice of standards for these programs andthe criteria for evaluating whether an institution has metthem are critically important. Accreditation and certifi-cation programs should emphasize providing educationand assuring that appropriate protections are in place,while avoiding excessively bureaucratic procedures.


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Recommendation 3.3: All investigators, InstitutionalReview Board members, and Institutional ReviewBoard staff should be certified prior to conductingor reviewing research involving human participants.Certification requirements should be appropriateto their roles and to the area of research. The fed-eral government should encourage organizations,sponsors, and institutions to develop certificationprograms and mechanisms to evaluate their effec-tiveness. Federal policy should set standards fordetermining whether institutions and sponsorshave an effective process of certification in place.

Recommendation 3.4: Sponsors, institutions, andindependent Institutional Review Boards shouldbe accredited in order to conduct or review researchinvolving human participants. Accreditation shouldbe premised upon demonstrated competency incore areas through accreditation programs thatare approved by the federal government.

Assessing and Monitoring Compliance

Assessing institutional, IRB, and investigator compliancecan help to ensure that standards are being followed consistently. Current mechanisms for assessment includeassurances of compliance issued by DHHS and severalother federal departments, site inspections of IRBs con-ducted by FDA, other types of site inspections for partic-ipant protection, and institutional audits. In addition,some institutions have established ongoing mechanismsfor assessing investigator compliance with regulations.However, institutions vary considerably in their effortsand abilities to monitor investigator compliance, fromthose that have no monitoring programs to those thatconduct random audits. Assessing the behavior of inves-tigators is an important part of protecting research par-ticipants and should be taken seriously as a responsibilityof each institution. Investigators, IRBs, and institutionsshould discuss the many practical issues involved inmonitoring investigators as they conduct their researchstudies and provide input into the regulatory process.

Recommendation 3.5: The process for assuringcompliance with federal policy should be modifiedto reduce any unnecessary burden on institutions

conducting research and to register institutionsand Institutional Review Boards with the federalgovernment. The assurance process should notbe duplicative of accreditation programs for institutions (see Recommendation 3.4).

Recommendation 3.6: Institutions should developinternal mechanisms to ensure InstitutionalReview Board compliance and investigator compliance with regulations, guidance, and institutional procedures. Mechanisms should beput in place for reporting noncompliance to allrelevant parties.

Managing Conflicts of Interest

A research setting that involves human participants necessarily creates a conflict of interest for investigatorswho seek to develop or revise knowledge by enrollingindividuals in research protocols to obtain that knowl-edge. Overzealous pursuit of scientific results could leadto harm if, for example, investigators design researchstudies that pose unacceptable risks to participants,enroll participants who should not be enrolled, or con-tinue studies even when results suggest they should havebeen modified or halted. Conflicts of interest can alsoexist for IRB members or the institutions in which theresearch will be conducted. Thus, it is important toaddress prospectively the potentially harmful effects onparticipants that conflicts of interest might cause.

Organizations, particularly academic institutions,should become more actively involved in managinginvestigators’ and IRB members’ conflicts of interest andincrease their efforts for self-regulation in this arena. IRBreview of research studies is one method for identifyingand dealing with conflicts of interest that might faceinvestigators. By having IRBs review research studiesprospectively and follow an IRB-approved protocol,investigators and IRBs together can manage conflictbetween the investigators’ desire to advance scientificknowledge and to protect the rights and welfare ofresearch participants. Financial and other obvious con-flicts for IRB members, such as collaboration in a researchstudy, are often less difficult to identify and manage thansome of the more subtle and pervasive conflicts.

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Summary

Guidance should be developed to assist IRBs in identifyingvarious types of conflict.

Recommendation 3.7: Federal policy should defineinstitutional, Institutional Review Board, andinvestigator conflicts of interest, and guidanceshould be issued to ensure that the rights andwelfare of research participants are protected.

Recommendation 3.8: Sponsors and institutionsshould develop policies and mechanisms to identify and manage all types of institutional,Institutional Review Board, and investigator conflicts of interest. In particular, all relevantconflicts of interest should be disclosed to participants. Policies also should describe specific types of prohibited relationships.

IRB Membership

Appropriate composition of IRB membership ensuresthat research studies are reviewed with the utmost regardfor protecting the rights and welfare of research partici-pants. Current federal regulations require that each IRBhave “at least one member who is not otherwise affiliatedwith the institution and who is not part of the immediatefamily of a person who is affiliated with the institution” (45 CFR 46.107(d); 21 CFR 56.107(d)). The regulationsalso require that each IRB include “at least one memberwhose primary concerns are in scientific areas and atleast one member whose primary concerns are in non-scientific areas.” Some have raised the concern ofwhether only 1 unaffiliated member on an IRB is suffi-cient to avoid institutional influence, especially whenIRBs have 15 to 21 members on average. In addition,unaffiliated members do not have to be present for an IRBto conduct review and approve research studies. Thus,IRBs can approve research with only institutional repre-sentation present as long as a nonscientist and a quorumare also present. IRBs should strive to complement theirmembership by having clearly recognizable memberswho are unaffiliated with the institutions, members whoare nonscientists, and members who represent the

perspectives of participants. However, it is difficult torequire that IRBs increase the presence and participationof more unaffiliated members to reduce the influence ofinstitutional interests on IRB decisionmaking, becausefinding them can be difficult. Currently, there are no rulesor guidance that describe criteria for meeting the defini-tion of an unaffiliated member, that specify how longsuch members should serve, or that provide guidanceregarding under what circumstances they may beremoved or what payment should be provided.Institutions should be careful to select unaffiliated mem-bers who are truly separated from the institution, exceptfor their role on the IRB. Procedures for the selection andremoval of unaffiliated members should be established ina way that empowers the independent voices of thosemembers. In addition, providing reasonable payment toIRB members who are otherwise unaffiliated with theinstitution can be a valuable way to strengthen thesemembers’ role.

Recommendation 3.9: Federal policy should establish standards and criteria for the selectionof Institutional Review Board members. The distribution of Institutional Review Board members with relevant expertise and experienceshould be commensurate with the types ofresearch reviewed by the Institutional ReviewBoard (see Recommendation 3.10).

Recommendation 3.10: Institutional Review Boards should include members who representthe perspectives of participants, members whoare unaffiliated with the institution, and memberswhose primary concerns are in nonscientificareas. An individual can fulfill one, two, or allthree of these categories. For the purposes ofboth overall membership and quorum deter-minations 1) these persons should collectivelyrepresent at least 25 percent of the InstitutionalReview Board membership and 2) members fromall of these categories should be represented eachtime an Institutional Review Board meets (seeRecommendation 3.9).


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Guidance for Assessing Risks andPotential Benefits

In addition to protecting the rights and welfare ofresearch participants, it is equally important to protectthem from avoidable harm. Thus, an IRB’s assessment ofthe risks and potential benefits of research is central todetermining whether a research study is ethicallyacceptable. Yet, this assessment can be a difficult one tomake, as there are no clear criteria for IRBs to use injudging whether the risks of research are reasonable interms of what might be gained by the individual or society.

IRBs should be able to identify whether a clear anddirect benefit to society or the research participants mightresult from participating in the study. However, IRBsshould be cautious in classifying procedures as offeringthe prospect of direct benefit. In fact, if it is not clear thata procedure also offers the prospect of direct benefit, IRBsshould treat the procedure as one solely designed toanswer the research question(s). A major advantage of thisapproach is that it avoids justifying the risks of proce-dures that are designed solely to answer the researchquestion(s) based on the likelihood that another proce-dure in the protocol would provide a benefit.

Recommendation 4.1: An analysis of the risks and potential benefits of study componentsshould be applied to all types of covered research(see Recommendation 2.4). In general, each component of a study should be evaluated separately, and its risks should be both reason-able in themselves as well as justified by thepotential benefits to society or the participants.Potential benefits from one component of a studyshould not be used to justify risks posed by aseparate component of a study.

Minimal Risk

Determining whether a study poses more than minimalrisk is a central ethical and procedural function of theIRB. The definition of minimal risk in federal regulations(45 CFR 46.102(i); 21 CFR 56.102(i)) provides anambiguous standard by which risks involved in aresearch study are compared to those encountered in

daily life. However, it is unclear whether this applies tothose risks found in the daily lives of healthy individualsor those of individuals who belong to the group targetedby the research. If it refers to the individuals to beinvolved in the research, then the same interventioncould be classified as minimal risk or greater than minimalrisk, depending on the health status of those participantsand their particular experiences. According to this under-standing, the standard for minimal risk is a relative one.

This report recommends that IRBs use a standardrelated to the risks of daily life that are familiar to thegeneral population for determining whether the level ofrisk is minimal or more than minimal, rather than usinga standard that refers to the risks encountered by partic-ular persons or groups. These common risks wouldinclude, for example, driving to work, crossing the street,getting a blood test, or answering questions over the telephone. Thus, research would involve no more thanminimal risk when it is judged that the level of risk is nogreater than that encountered in the daily lives of thegeneral population.

Recommendation 4.2: Federal policy should distinguish between research studies that poseminimal risk and those that pose more than minimal risk (see Recommendation 2.5). Minimalrisk should be defined as the probability andmagnitude of harms that are normally encounteredin the daily lives of the general population. If astudy that would normally be considered minimalrisk for the general population nonetheless poseshigher risk for any prospective participants, thenthe Institutional Review Board should approvethe study only if it has determined that appro-priate protections are in place for all prospectiveparticipants.

Evaluating Vulnerability

All segments of society should have the opportunity toparticipate in research, if they wish to do so and if theyare considered to be appropriate participants for a givenprotocol. However, some individuals may need addi-tional protections before they can fully participate in theresearch study; otherwise they might be more susceptible

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Summary

to coercion or exploitation. Individuals might be consid-ered vulnerable within the research context because ofintrinsic characteristics (e.g., they are children or havemental illness or retardation) or because of the situation inwhich they find themselves (e.g., they are impoverished,unemployed, or incarcerated). Recognizing various typesof vulnerability and providing adequate safeguards canprove challenging for IRBs.

Appropriate and specific safeguards should be estab-lished to protect persons who are categorized as vulner-able. Once safeguards are established, investigators should not exclude persons categorized as vulnerablefrom research involving greater than minimal riskbecause this would deprive them of whatever potentialdirect benefits they might receive from the research anddeprive their communities and society from the benefit ofthe knowledge such research might generate.

Recommendation 4.3: Federal policy should pro-mote the inclusion of all segments of society inresearch. Guidance should be developed on howto identify and avoid situations that render someparticipants or groups vulnerable to harm orcoercion. Sponsors and investigators shoulddesign research that incorporates appropriatesafeguards to protect all prospective participants.

Emphasizing the Informed ConsentProcess

Rather than focusing on the ethical standard of informedconsent and what is entailed in the process of obtaininginformed consent, IRBs and investigators have followedthe lead of the federal regulations and have tended tofocus on the disclosures found in the consent form.However, from an ethics perspective, the informed con-sent process, not the form of its documentation, is thecritical communication link between the prospective participant and the investigator throughout a study,beginning when the investigator initially approaches theparticipant. Informed consent should be an activeprocess through which both parties share informationand during which the participant at any time can freelydecide whether to withdraw from or continue to partici-pate in the research. It is time to place the emphasis on

the process of informed consent to ensure that informa-tion is fully disclosed, that competent participants fullyunderstand the research in order to make informedchoices, and that decisions to participate or not arealways made voluntarily.

Recommendation 5.1: Federal policy shouldemphasize the process of informed consentrather than the form of its documentation andshould ensure that competent participants havegiven their voluntary informed consent. Guidanceshould be issued about how to provide appropriateinformation to prospective research participants,how to promote prospective participants’ com-prehension of such information, and how toensure that participants continue to makeinformed and voluntary decisions throughouttheir involvement in the research.

Waiver of Informed ConsentObtaining voluntary informed consent should not be arequirement for every research study. In fact, waiving theinformed consent process is justifiable in research studiesthat include no interaction between investigators andparticipants, such as in studies using existing identifiabledata (e.g., studies of records) and in studies in whichrisks generally are not physical. In these kinds ofresearch, risks are likely to arise from the acquisition, use,or dissemination of information resulting from the studyand are likely to involve threats to privacy and breachesin confidentiality. The criteria for waiving informed con-sent in such instances should be revised, so that if suchstudies have protections in place for both privacy andconfidentiality, IRBs may waive the requirement forinformed consent.

Recommendation 5.2: Federal policy should permitInstitutional Review Boards in certain, limitedsituations (e.g., some studies using existing identifiable data or some observational studies)to waive informed consent requirements if all ofthe following criteria are met:

a) all components of the study involve minimalrisk or any component involving more thanminimal risk must also offer the prospect ofdirect benefit to participants;


15

b) the waiver is not otherwise prohibited bystate, federal, or international law;

c) there is an adequate plan to protect the confidentiality of the data;

d) there is an adequate plan for contacting participants with information derived fromthe research, should the need arise; and

e) in analyzing risks and potential benefits, the Institutional Review Board specificallydetermines that the benefits from the knowl-edge to be gained from the research study outweigh any dignitary harm associated withnot seeking informed consent.

Documentation of Informed Consent

Although the federal regulations may have been intendedto reflect a legal standard for documentation of informedconsent, NBAC is aware of no case law in which a signed,written consent form is required. To fulfill the substantiveethical standard of informed consent, depending on thetype of research proposed, it may be more appropriate touse other forms of documentation, such as audiotape,videotape, witnesses, or telephone calls to participantsverifying informed consent and participation in theresearch study.

Recommendation 5.3: Federal policy shouldrequire investigators to document that they have obtained voluntary informed consent, butshould be flexible with respect to the form ofsuch documentation. Especially when individualscan easily refuse or discontinue participation, orwhen signed forms might threaten confidentiality,Institutional Review Boards should permit investigators to use other means of verifying that informed consent has been obtained.

Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality

Privacy and confidentiality are complex and poorlyunderstood concepts in the context of some research.Privacy refers to the ways and circumstances underwhich investigators access information from participants.Because privacy concerns vary by type and context ofresearch and the culture and individual circumstances ofparticipants, investigators should be well informed and

mindful of the cultural norms of the participants. Inaddition, investigators should be aware of the variousresearch procedures and methods that can be used torespect privacy. Needed is a clear, comprehensive reg-ulatory definition of privacy along with guidance for protecting privacy in various types of research.

Like privacy concerns, concerns about confidentialityvary by the type and context of the research. No one setof procedures can be developed to protect confidentialityin all research contexts. Thus, IRBs and investigatorsmust tailor confidentiality protections to the specific cir-cumstances and methods used in each specific researchstudy. Further, IRBs and investigators are encouraged toconsider the use of strong confidentiality protections,which can also reduce some of the violations associatedwith privacy. A clear, comprehensive definition of confi-dentiality is needed, along with guidance for protectingconfidentiality in various types of research.

Recommendation 5.4: Federal policy should bedeveloped and mechanisms should be providedto enable investigators and institutions to reducethreats to privacy and breaches of confidentiality.The feasibility of additional mechanisms shouldbe examined to strengthen confidentiality protections in research studies.

Monitoring of Ongoing Research

Continual review and monitoring of research that is inprogress is a critical element of the oversight system.Such review is necessary to ensure that emerging data orevidence have not altered the risks/potential benefitsassessment so that risks are no longer reasonable. In addi-tion, mechanisms are needed to monitor adverse events,unanticipated problems, and changes to the protocol.IRBs can do a better job in this area with the appropriateguidance and some restructuring of the review and monitoring process.

Currently, the requirement of continuing review isoverly broad. The frequency and need for continuingreview vary depending on the nature of research, withsome protocols not requiring continuing review. Inresearch involving high or unknown risks, the first fewtrials of a new intervention may substantially affect what

16

Summary

is known about the risks and potential benefits of thatintervention. Even if the knowledge does not warrantchanges in study design, it may warrant changes in theinformation presented to prospective and enrolled participants.

On the other hand, the ethics issues and participantprotections necessary in minimal risk research areunlikely to be affected by developments from within oroutside the research—for example, research involvingthe use of existing data or research that will no longerinvolve contact with participants because it is in the dataanalysis phase. Continuing review of such researchshould not be required because it is unlikely to provideany additional protection to research participants andmerely increases the burden of IRBs. However, becauseminimal risk research does involve some risk, IRBs maychoose to require continuing review. In these cases, othertypes of monitoring may be more appropriate, such asassessing investigator compliance with the approved pro-tocol or reporting of protocol changes and unanticipatedproblems. Clarifying the nature of the continuing reviewrequirements would allow IRBs to better focus theirefforts on reviewing riskier research and would increaseprotections for participants where they are most needed.

Recommendation 6.1: Federal policy shoulddescribe how sponsors, institutions, and investigators should monitor ongoing research.

Recommendation 6.2: Federal policy shoulddescribe clearly the requirements for continuingInstitutional Review Board review of ongoingresearch. Continuing review should not berequired for research studies involving minimalrisk, research involving the use of existing data,or research that is in the data analysis phasewhen there is no additional contact with partici-pants. When continuing review is not required,other mechanisms should be in place for ensuringcompliance of investigators and for reportingprotocol changes or unanticipated problemsencountered in the research.

Recommendation 6.3: Federal policy should clarify when changes in research design or context require review and new approval by an Institutional Review Board.

Adverse Event Reporting

Assessing adverse events reports can be a major burdenfor IRBs and investigators because of the high volumeand ambiguous nature of such events and the complexityof the pertinent regulatory requirements. Investigatorshave reported frustration in attempting to understandwhat constitutes an adverse event, the required reportingtimes, and to whom adverse events should be reported.The regulations need to be simplified, and one set of regulations should be available for safety monitoring.Regulations and guidance should be written so thatinvestigators and sponsors understand what constitutesan adverse event, what type of event must be reportedwithin what time period, and to whom it should bereported. In addition, regulations and guidance shouldbe clear regarding whose responsibility it is to analyzeand evaluate adverse event reports and should describethe required communication and coordination channelsfor these reports among IRBs and safety monitoring enti-ties, such as Data Safety Monitoring Boards, investigators,sponsors, and federal agencies.

Recommendation 6.4: The federal governmentshould create a uniform system for reporting andevaluating adverse events occurring in research,especially in multi-site research. The reportingand evaluation responsibilities of investigators,sponsors, Institutional Review Boards, DataSafety Monitoring Boards, and federal agenciesshould be clear and efficient. The primary concernof the reporting system should be to protect current and prospective research participants.

Review of Cooperative or Multi-SiteResearch Studies

One of the greatest burdens on IRBs and investigators is the review of multi-site studies. Requiring multipleinstitutions to review the same protocol is unnecessarilytaxing and provides no additional protection to partici-pants. In addition, such review poses problems in the initial stages of review as well as in the continual reviewand monitoring stages and is especially problematic inthe evaluation of adverse events in clinical research.


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Innovative and creative alternative mechanisms andprocesses for reviewing protocols in multi-site researchare needed. To allow for such projects and to support achange in the current system toward a more flexiblereview system, federal policy should be clear about thefunctions that must be performed, but be less restrictiveabout who performs each function.

Recommendation 6.5: For multi-site research, federal policy should permit central or leadInstitutional Review Board review, provided that participants’ rights and welfare are rigorously protected.

Compensation for Research-RelatedInjuries

Participants who volunteer to be in a research study andare harmed as a direct result of that study should be caredfor and compensated. However, no adequate databaseexists that describes the number of injuries or illnessesthat are suffered by research participants, the proportionof these illnesses or injuries that are caused by theresearch, and the medical treatment and rehabilitationexpenses that are subsequently borne by the participants.It may be argued that regardless of the magnitude of theproblem, the costs of research injuries should never beborne by participants. If individuals are injured byresearch participation, those who benefit from theresearch (e.g., institutions and sponsors) bear some obligation to compensate those who risked and sufferedinjury on their behalf. At this time, injured research participants alone bear both the cost of lost health andthe expense of medical care, unless they have adequatehealth insurance or successfully pursue legal action togain compensation from the specific individuals ororganizations that were involved in conducting theresearch.

A comprehensive system of oversight of humanresearch should include a mechanism to compensate participants for medical and rehabilitative costs resultingfrom research-related injuries.

Recommendation 6.6: The federal governmentshould study the issue of research-related injuriesto determine if there is a need for a compensationprogram. If needed, the federal governmentshould implement the recommendation of thePresident’s Commission for the Study of EthicalProblems in Medicine and Biomedical andBehavioral Research (1982) to conduct a pilotstudy to evaluate possible program mechanisms.

The Need for Resources

Adopting the recommendations made in this report willgenerate additional costs for institutions, sponsors, andthe federal government (through the establishment of anew federal oversight office). Sponsors of research,whether public or private, should work together withinstitutions carrying out the research to make the neces-sary funds available.

Recommendation 7.1: The proposed oversight system should have adequate resources to ensureits effectiveness and ultimate success in protectingresearch participants and promoting research:

a) Funds should be appropriated to carry out thefunctions of the proposed federal oversightoffice as outlined in this report.

b) Federal appropriations for research programsshould include a separate allocation for oversight activities related to the protection of human participants.

c) Institutions should be permitted to requestfunding for Institutional Review Boards andother oversight activities.

d) Federal agencies, other sponsors, and institu-tions should make additional funds availablefor oversight activities.

Future Research

This report raises many questions about ethical issuesthat cannot be answered because of insufficient ornonexistent empirical evidence. Current thinking aboutethical issues in research—such as analysis of risks and

18

Summary

potential benefits, informed consent, privacy and confi-dentiality, and vulnerability—would greatly benefit fromadditional research. Deserving of more study, for example,are questions regarding the development of effectiveapproaches for assessing cognitive capacity, for evaluatingwhat participants want to know about research, and fordetermining how to ascertain best practices for seekinginformed consent. Clearer and more effective guidancecould be developed from a stronger knowledge base. Ingeneral, understanding the ethical conduct of researchwould be advanced by increased interdisciplinary discus-sion that would include biomedical and social scientists,lawyers, and historians.

Recommendation 7.2: The federal government, in partnership with academic institutions andprofessional societies, should facilitate discussionabout emerging human research protection issuesand develop a research agenda that addressesissues related to research ethics.

Notes1 For example, the Office for Human Research Protections isimplementing a new process by which institutions assure futurecompliance with human participant protections. The Institute ofMedicine has recently issued a report on accreditation standardsfor IRBs (IOM 2001). Public Responsibility in Medicine andResearch has established training programs and has co-founded a new organization, the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs.

2 To date, NBAC has issued five reports: Cloning Human Beings(NBAC 1997), Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity (NBAC 1998), Ethical Issuesin Human Stem Cell Research (NBAC 1999a), Research InvolvingHuman Biological Materials: Ethical Issues and Policy Guidance(NBAC 1999b), and Ethical and Policy Issues in InternationalResearch: Clinical Trials in Developing Countries (NBAC 2001).

3 United States v. Karl Brandt et al., Trials of War Criminals Beforethe Nuremberg Military Tribunals Under Control Council Law 10.Nuremberg, October 1946–April 1949. Volumes I–II. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

4 There are, of course, some circumstances in which consent cannot be obtained and in which an overly rigid adherence to this principle would preclude research that is either benign orpotentially needed by the participant him- or herself. Thus, NBACendorses the current exceptions for research that is of minimal riskto participants and for potentially beneficial research in emergencysettings where no better alternative for the participants exists.NBAC also urges attention to emerging areas of record, database,and tissue bank research in which consent serves only as a sign of respect and in which alternative ways to respect participants do exist (NBAC 1999b; 21 CFR 50.24). In a previous report, theCommission made recommendations regarding persons who lackdecisionmaking capacity and from whom informed consent cannotbe obtained (NBAC 1998).

5 Porter, J., Testimony before NBAC. November 23, 1997.Bethesda, Maryland. See McCarthy, C.R., “Reflections on theOrganizational Locus of the Office for Protection from ResearchRisks.” This background paper was prepared for NBAC and isavailable in Volume II of this report.

6 See Goldman, J., and A. Choy, “Privacy and Confidentiality inHealth Research” and Sieber, J., “Privacy and Confidentiality: As Related to Human Research in Social and Behavioral Science.”These background papers were prepared for NBAC and are available in Volume II of this report. See also Ferguson v. City of

Charleston 121 S. Ct. 1281. (2001).


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References

Beecher, H.K. 1966. “Ethics and Clinical Research.” New EnglandJournal of Medicine 274(24):1354–1360.

Faden, R.R., and T.L. Beauchamp. 1986. A History and Theory ofInformed Consent. New York: Oxford University Press.

Institute of Medicine (IOM). 2001. Preserving Public Trust:Accreditation and Human Research Participant Protection Programs.Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Jonas, H. 1969. “Philosophical Reflections on Experimenting withHuman Subjects.” Daedalus 98:219–247.

Jones, J.H. 1981. Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.New York: The Free Press.

Katz, J. 1972. Experimentation with Human Beings. New York:Russell Sage Foundation.

National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). 1997. CloningHuman Beings. 2 vols. Rockville, MD: U.S. Government PrintingOffice.

———. 1998. Research Involving Persons with Mental Disorders That May Affect Decisionmaking Capacity. 2 vols. Rockville, MD:U.S. Government Printing Office.

———. 1999a. Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research. 3 vols.Rockville, MD: U.S. Government Printing Office.

———. 1999b. Research Involving Human Biological Materials:Ethical Issues and Policy Guidance. 2 vols. Rockville, MD: U.S.Government Printing Office.

———. 2001. Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research:Clinical Trials in Developing Countries. 2 vols. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Government Printing Office.

National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects ofBiomedical and Behavioral Research (National Commission). 1979.Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection ofHuman Subjects of Research. Washington, D.C.: U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study Ad Hoc Advisory Panel. 1973. FinalReport. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education,and Welfare.

ISBN 1-931022-18-6

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