Ethical considerations for health professions education research matter

The reporting of ethical review and ethical considerations in articles published in medical education journals: A literature review

“…These points are important because major international and even regional differences exist in how ethical reviews are organised. Moreover, different decision terminology is used to describe the practice of ethical reviewing practice and ERB decisions 6–10 . For example, the meaning of the ethical review decision ‘exempt’ varies considerably among countries and could encompass an expedited review or no review at all 8,10,11 .…”

“…Other risks may arise through discomfort during study activities and procedures, as well as privacy risks 9,12–14 . Privacy risks could include the publication and dissemination of identifiable and sensitive participant information 7–9,11–14 …”

“…Moreover, different decision terminology is used to describe the practice of ethical reviewing practice and ERB decisions. [6][7][8][9][10] For example, the meaning of the ethical review decision 'exempt' varies considerably among countries and could encompass an expedited review or no review at all. 8,10,11 Projects that involve HPE-R or quality improvement (QI), without involving patients, often fall outside the scope of general medical ethical rules and regulations in some countries and can be exempted without substantive review by general medical ERBs.…”

“…9,[12][13][14] Privacy risks could include the publication and dissemination of identifiable and sensitive participant information. [7][8][9][11][12][13][14] Roberts et al assessed the reporting of some of these features and considerations for research articles published in 1988-1989 and 1998-1999 in two major HPE journals. 9 The results revealed sufficient reporting in fewer than 25% of articles.…”