Ethics Approval At McGill Flashcards
What is Ethics?
Study of general nature of morals and moral choices
Principles are guidelines used to make decisions
What are morals?
Conforming to established ideas of right and wrong
Aren’t laws meant to guide people’s ethical actions?
- Laws are formal, written standards
- Designed to apply to everyone
- Enforced by government agencies
- Interpreted by the courts
- Impossible to pass laws to cover every possibility
- Ethics provides a general set of unwritten guidelines
Unethical behavior vs Illegal behavior
- Unethical behavior
1. Isn’t necessary illegal
2. Not all illegal behavior is unethical
3. Not conforming to approved standards - Amoral behavior
1. No sens of right or wrong
2. No interest in moral consequences
Which system of ethics works best?
- No universal agreement
- Most societies use a blend
- Ethical decision are greatly influenced by personal ethics
At most universities in the Western World, research requires “approval” by ethics committees
McGill and Unethical Research
From 1957 to 1964: Project MK ULTRA
CIA funded a mind control project that used unconsenting patients to test the effects of sensory deprivation, LSD, electroshock therapy and other methods to control the human psyche
Had a devastating effects on patients
When does a researcher need proper certification before research begins?
If researchers are working with human participants, animals, or will be dealing with radioactive or bio hazardous materials
How is proper certification enforced?
- No data collected without (or prior to) an ethics approval may be used in any research
- Funding is withheld until necessary ethics approval are obtained
Does all research need ethics?
It depends
Multi institutional projects —> ethics approval needed from all institutions
Default: assume any human subjects research needs Ethics Approval. ONLY EXCEPTION: talking to “designated representatives” of organizations
Research Ethics Boards at McGill
5 research Research Ethics Boards (REBs) to deal exclusively with human subjects research (REB 1 - 4, and school of medicine REB)
Name the REBs at McGill and their roles
REB-1: serves faculty of law, arts, engineering, religious studies, science (except psychology), Desautels Faculty of Management, School of continuing studies
For research involving competent adults
REB-2: linguistics, psychology, music, social work, information studies, education
Competent adults
REB-3: all faculties except medicine and dentistry for review of research involving minors or adults not competent to consent, including research that falls under Article 21 of the Quebec Civil Code
REB-4: faculty of agricultural and environmental sciences for research involving competent adults
Application process for ethics
Required human research ethics training
- All principal investigator applicants (McGill students, faculty or staff) must complete the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS2) online tutorial BEFORE submitting an application for review
- Undergraduate students cannot apply as a Principal Investigator
- Course instructors may apply as the Principal Investigator for students required to complete an assignment involving human participant research as part of the course
Submission Deadline for Ethics Review
Projects with minimal risks:
- Can be submitted at any time
- Review period 4-6 weeks
Projects with greater risk and those involving minors:
- 1st Friday of every month
-REB meets 4 weeks after that
- No board meetings in July and August
Informed consent
- Consent must be explicitly obtained: can be written or verbal
- Consent has to be voluntarily given
- Compensation is OK for participation, but has to be mentioned and approved in the REB application
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a key factor considered by REBs
- Participants identities or sensitive information must not be revealed during research publication
- All data must be securely stored (paper and electronic)
- Research Data has to be kept securely for 7 years
- Specific provisions must be made for destroying data that is no longer needed
