The National Research Ethics Board (NREB) of Liberia typically follows established ethical review criteria to evaluate research proposals involving human subjects. These criteria help ensure that research studies adhere to ethical principles and protect the rights, welfare, and dignity of research participants. Here are commonly used ethical review criteria:
- Informed Consent:
- Adequacy of the informed consent process: Ensure that participants are provided with comprehensive information about the research, including its purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and their rights.
- Voluntariness of participation: Assess whether participants have the capacity to provide informed consent voluntarily without coercion, undue influence, or coercion.
- Beneficence:
- Risk-benefit assessment: Evaluate the risks and potential benefits of the research to participants and society. Ensure that potential harms are minimized, and potential benefits are maximized.
- Protection of vulnerable populations: Assess the safeguards in place to protect vulnerable individuals, such as children, prisoners, pregnant women, and individuals with impaired decision-making capacity.
- Justice:
- Fair selection of participants: Ensure that the selection criteria for participants are fair and equitable, and that no group is unduly burdened or excluded from participation.
- Equitable distribution of research benefits and burdens: Assess whether the benefits and burdens of the research are distributed fairly among participants and communities.
- Privacy and Confidentiality:
- Protection of privacy: Evaluate the measures in place to protect participants’ privacy and confidentiality, including data collection, storage, and dissemination procedures.
- Confidentiality safeguards: Ensure that researchers maintain the confidentiality of participants’ personal information and research data and that appropriate data security measures are implemented.
- Respect for Participants’ Rights and Dignity:
- Respect for autonomy: Assess whether participants are treated with respect for their autonomy, rights, and dignity throughout the research process.
- Protection from harm: Evaluate the safeguards in place to minimize the risk of physical, psychological, social, or economic harm to participants.
- Scientific Validity and Integrity:
- Scientific merit: Evaluate the scientific validity, relevance, and rigor of the research design, methods, and procedures.
- Integrity of research conduct: Assess whether researchers adhere to ethical and methodological standards and accurately represent the research aims, methods, and findings.
- Compliance with Regulatory Requirements:
- Compliance with national and international regulations: Ensure that the research complies with relevant national laws, regulations, guidelines, and international ethical standards, such as the Declaration of Helsinki and the Belmont Report.
These ethical review criteria guide the NREB in evaluating research proposals and making informed decisions about the ethical acceptability of research involving human subjects in Liberia. They help ensure that research studies prioritize the welfare and rights of participants while advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to societal well-being.