Enhancing Research Ethics Capacity in the Middle East: Experience and Challenges of a Fogarty-Sponsored Training Program

Silverman, Henry; Edwards, Hillary; Shamoo, Adil E.; Matar, Amal

doi:10.1525/jer.2013.8.5.40

Cited by 49 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Six of these nine programs remain funded beyond 2012. This review excludes awards for North Africa or the Middle East region, which are covered in a separate paper (Silverman et al, 2013). We present key information on the nine programs in Table 1.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Ethics Capacity Building in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of NIH Fogarty-Funded Programs 2000–2012

Ndebele

Wassenaar

Benatar

et al. 2014

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics

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The last fifteen years have witnessed a significant increase in investment in research ethics capacity development throughout the world. We examine nine research ethics training programs that are focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and supported by the US National Institutes of Health. We collected data from grants awards’ documents and annual reports supplemented by questionnaires completed by the training program directors. Together, these programs provided long-term training in research ethics to 275 African professionals, strengthened research ethics committees in 19 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and created research ethics curricula at many institutions and bioethics centers within Africa. Trainees’ leadership resulted in new national systems and policies on research ethics, human tissue storage and export, and methods of monitoring compliance with research ethics guidelines. Training programs adapted to challenges that arose due to varied trainees’ background knowledge in ethics, duration of time available for training, spoken and written English language skills, administrative obstacles, and the need to sustain post-training research ethics activities. Our report showcases the development of awareness of research ethics and building/strengthening of basic research ethics infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, the increasing amount and complexity of health research being conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa suggests the need for continued investment in research ethics capacity development in this region. This paper is part of a collection of papers analyzing the Fogarty International Center’s International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development program.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Ethics Capacity Building in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of NIH Fogarty-Funded Programs 2000–2012

Ndebele

Wassenaar

Benatar

et al. 2014

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics

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“…The utility of such programs has been documented. For example, Silverman, Edwards, Shamoo, and Matar (2013) describe the benefits of a Fogarty-sponsored and other sponsored ethics training programs in the Middle East, and Ndebele and colleagues (2014) provide a review of Fogarty-sponsored programs addressing research ethics capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa. Training programs should be tailored to the needs of the institution and its members and may range from short-term intensive one-week fundamental ethics trainings for REC members and faculty to long-term (six months to two years) training programs for a smaller number of interested REC members and faculty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The importance of competent committees and comprehensive standards for REC functioning in LMICs is highlighted in the literature (Adams et al, 2014; Chenneville et al, 2014; Makhoul et al, 2014; Matar & Silverman, 2013; Silverman, Edwards, Shamoo, & Matar, 2013; Silverman & Sleem, 2014; Silverman et al, 2014). Nonetheless, concerns remain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case-Study of the Resources and Functioning of Two Research Ethics Committees in Western India

Chenneville

Menezes

Kosambiya

et al. 2016

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics

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Assessing the resources and functioning of research ethics committees (RECs) in low-resource settings poses many challenges. We conducted a case study of two medical college RECs (A and B) in Western India utilizing the Research Ethics Committee Quality Assurance Self-Assessment Tool (RECQASAT) as well as in-depth interviews with representative members to evaluate REC effectiveness. REC A and B obtained 62% and 67% of allowable points on the RECQASAT. These scores together with findings from the in-depth interviews suggest the need for significant improvement in REC effectiveness particularly in the areas of membership and educational training, organizational aspects, recording minutes, communicating decisions, and REC resources. Developing evidence-based best practices and strengthening infrastructure are essential to enhancing REC efficacy in low-resource countries. Keywords international research, IRB performance/quality/assessment/evaluation, research ethics committee/IRB review, research ethics, in-depth interviews (USF) St. Petersburg with a joint appointment in the USF Department of Pediatrics. Her primary research interests are in the areas of pediatric HIV and global research ethics. She served as the principal investigator for this project and, in this capacity, was responsible for overseeing all aspects of this article.

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“…In the current study, more than a third of the researchers did not have training in research ethics. Inadequate research ethics training was demonstrated in several studies conducted in developing countries . A survey of the faculty members at Cairo University in Egypt showed that almost half of them never attended a course in research ethics .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical issues in consenting older adults: academic researchers and community perspectives

Altawalbeh

Alkhateeb

Attarabeen

2019

J Pharm Health Serv Res

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Objectives Obtaining informed consents from older adults is surrounded by many ethical and practical challenges. The objective of this study was to evaluate ethical issues and strategies in consenting older adults in Jordan as perceived by academic researchers and older adults. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to academic researchers in the Jordanian health sciences colleges and a sample of older adults. The study survey included items eliciting demographics, professional characteristics and perceptions regarding the consenting process in older adults, consent‐related skills in elderly and strategies to improve the consenting process in older adults. The survey was then modified to assess the consent‐related ethical issues and challenges as viewed by a sample of older adults after explaining the concept of the consenting process to them. Key findings A total of 250 academic researchers and 233 older adults participated in the study. Both researchers and older adults reported that having to sign the written forms and the impact of age‐related physical impairments were the most challenging obstacles when consenting older adults. Lack of consistency and repeating questions were the most frequently encountered obstacles by researchers in consenting older adults. Ensuring privacy (anonymity/confidentiality), dedicating more time for the consenting process, treating older adults as autonomous individuals and respecting their cultural beliefs were the most helpful strategies recommended by both academic researchers and older adults. Conclusions Obtaining informed consents from older adults is a challenging process. Researchers should be aware of the special needs and strategies to achieve realistic and ethical informed consents from older adults.

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Enhancing Research Ethics Capacity in the Middle East: Experience and Challenges of a Fogarty-Sponsored Training Program

Cited by 49 publications

References 22 publications

Research Ethics Capacity Building in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of NIH Fogarty-Funded Programs 2000–2012

Research Ethics Capacity Building in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of NIH Fogarty-Funded Programs 2000–2012

A Case-Study of the Resources and Functioning of Two Research Ethics Committees in Western India

Ethical issues in consenting older adults: academic researchers and community perspectives

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