Essay Sample on Institutional Review Boards (IRB) Process

Introduction

It is a requirement that all DNP students preparing to execute a scholarly project must submit their project proposal for review by either the University or the healthcare agency IRBs before the start of the research project. An IRB is a committee constituted by an entity such as a university or a hospital to review, approve, and regulate research conducted by its members, on its premises, or under its sponsorship. Such IRBs are charged with protecting the rights and safety of clinical trial participants (Vitak, Proferes, Shilton, & Ashktorab, 2017). In particular, the IRB ensures that the risks faced by human participants in research are minimal. Currently, this research proposal is awaiting approval by the University's IRB since my Agency does not have a formal IRB although the Quality Assurance (QA) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will approve the project.

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IRB Process

Obtaining approval from the University's IRB requires a detailed research proposal. However, before submitting this proposal, it is essential to contact the IRB to learn about their specific requirements for submission, encompassing the suggested format and needed documentation (Musoba, Jacob, & Robinson, 2014). Once the IRB determines that my evaluation poses minimal risk to human subjects and protects the participants adequately, then the proposal will be approved. In case the review raises concerns, the IRB can request me to amend the proposal to address those concerns and have the project undergo the review process again (Grady, 2015). Nevertheless, if the project does not receive approval to continue the evaluation, the researcher will have to stop all research-related activities such as data collection and analysis.

Similarities and Differences

Although my agency does not have formal IRB, the agency's QA and CEO will approve my scholarly project. The review processes by both institutions are similar on the following grounds. They both will ensure that my scholarly project conforms to the approved ethics application regarding human participants in research. However, the entities may vary in the format of their written review procedures and the amount of detail to include in the approval process.

Conclusion

In summary, once this scholarly project is approved, the researcher will recruit the study participants and obtain their informed consent. Then, data collection through a survey will begin.

References

Grady, C. (2015). Institutional review boards: purpose and challenges. Chest, 148(5), 1148-1155. DOI:10.1378/chest.15-0706

Musoba, G. D., Jacob, S. A., & Robinson, L. J. (2014). The Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Faculty: Does the IRB Challenge Faculty Professionalism in the Social Sciences?. The Qualitative Report, 19(51), 1-14. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/ vol19/iss51/1

Vitak, J., Proferes, N., Shilton, K., & Ashktorab, Z. (2017). Ethics regulation in social computing research: Examining the role of Institutional Review Boards. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 12(5), 372-382. DOI: 10.1177/1556264617725200