FAQ's
When To Obtain Institutional Review Board Approval:
- What exactly qualifies as human subject research?
- How do I know if the research I plan to do requires Institutional Review Board approval or registration
- Is informed consent required even if the data/specimens will be collected from my friends and colleagues?
- Who can consent on behalf of a subject for participation in a research study?
Working With the Approved Protocol: - Can I share my Institutional Review Board protocol approval with colleagues working on similar projects?
- I'm really busy, can I have my research coordinator or clinic manager respond to requests from the Institutional Review Board on my behalf?
Submitting the Protocol: - Do I need to list in my protocol application all of the research staff members that might be asked to participate on my approved research project?
Other FAQ's: - Is there any research-related assistance available to investigators located at the Brookwood Baptist Health?
- Why was I given less than a 12 month approval?
- What is the fastest way to find out what happened to my study at a Institutional Review Board meeting?
Q. What exactly qualifies as human subjects research?
A. Any systematic investigation that is designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge, and which uses living humans or identifiable private information about living
humans qualifies as human subjects research. Federal regulations defining human subject research can be found on-line at www.hhs.gov/ohrp. The regulations regarding FDA regulated drugs
and devices are available on-line at https://www.fda.gov/science-research/clinical-trials-and-human-subject-protection/regulations-good-clinical-practice-and-clinical-trials.
Q. How do I know if the research I plan to do requires Institutional Review Board approval or registration?
A. If the human subject data will be aggregated, analyzed or summarized for publication or presentation of any kind (whether
inside or outside Brookwood Baptist Health), it requires Institutional Review Board approval or exempt registration. For an explanation of the different categories of human subjects research and their corresponding requirements for approval/registration,
see "What Level of Review Do I Need?".
Q. Is informed consent required even if the data/specimens will be collected from my friends and colleagues?
A. Yes. All research involving interaction with human subjects (including
collection of specimens) requires informed consent regardless of who the subjects are. In some cases, written informed consent may be waived. Also, special rules apply to recruiting staff from within one's own department. For more information on informed
consent requirements, see "Required Elements of Informed Consent."
Q. Who can consent on behalf of a subject for participation in a research study?
A. If an adult patient is unable to consent on his/her own behalf due
to medical incapacity, the patient's legally authorized representative (a court appointed conservator or guardian, an attorney-in-fact pursuant to a durable power of attorney with healthcare proxy) may consent on his/her behalf. Family members (also
called "next-of-kin") who do not meet the definition of legally-authorized representative may not provide consent for a related adult to be enrolled in research. If there is no legally authorized representative, and the adult patient cannot consent,
the patient may not become a human subject in a medical experiment unless the Federal requirements for waiver of consent have been met or a special surrogate consent exception has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at the time of initial
review.
Q. Can I share my Institutional Review Board protocol approval with colleagues working on similar projects?
A. No. The Institutional Review Board approves protocols with the understanding that the work will be
conducted only by the Investigators named in the protocol application and/or the FDA form 1572. If your colleagues would like to work on your research project, you may modify your existing protocol to add them as Sub-investigators. Otherwise, they
must apply for their own Institutional Review Board protocol approvals. For more information on how to modify an approved protocol, see "Changes (Modifications) in the Protocol".
Q. I'm really busy, can I have my research coordinator or clinic manager respond to requests from the Institutional Review Board on my behalf?
A. Federal regulations require that the Institutional Review Board must communicate directly with the Principal Investigator regarding protocol-related issues. Accordingly, all correspondence and/or application submissions from (or on behalf
of) the Principal Investigator must be submitted to the Institutional Review Board over the Principal Investigator's signature. The Institutional Review Board may return any protocol-related correspondence that is received without evidence of the
Principal Investigator's approval.
Q. Do I need to list in my protocol application all of the research staff members that might be asked to participate on my approved research project?
A. All research staff members that
participate in a Brookwood Baptist Health approved research project by performing research procedures must be included on the application as a Sub-investigator, be listed on the 1572, and be listed on the consent form. If the work performed on the
research project would allow the staff person to receive credit in publications resulting from the research, then his or her name must be listed on the protocol. If, on the other hand, the staff person's role is part of his or her regular paid duties
(i.e., phlebotomist, x-ray technician, research coordinator, etc.) and involvement in the project is limited to performing those duties without contributing to the research endeavor, then such individuals need not be listed as Sub-investigators. If
your research team should change once the project is approved, you must submit a modification to your protocol adding the new investigator(s) or removing those no longer involved.
Q. Is there any research-related assistance available to investigators located at the Brookwood Baptist Health?
A. Yes, the Institutional Review Board office was established to assist staff with human subject research issues and provide regulatory guidance. It is located at:
Brookwood Baptist Health
Institutional Review Board
Suite
1000 Ridge Park Place
1130 22nd St. South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: (205) 715-5308
Fax: (205) 715-5304
Q. Why was I given less than a 12 month approval?
A. It is mandated by Federal
regulations that the Institutional Review Board grant approvals for a period not to exceed 365 days. However, the Institutional Review Board has authority to require review more frequently than 365 days when the risks presented by a protocol warrant
it.
Q. What is the fastest way to find out what happened to my study at an Institutional Review Board meeting?
A. Call or email the Institutional Review Board following the Institutional Review Board meeting. The Institutional
Review Board meets on the second Friday of the month.
Note: This will provide you with the status of your protocol only. Approval/disapproval letters will be sent directly to the Principal Investigator within five (5) working days of the
meeting at which the protocol was reviewed. Generally, a copy of the letter to the Principal Investigator will also be sent to the Research Coordinator.