A committee, the so-called institutional review board (IRB), applies research ethics by reviewing research methods to ensure they are humane. The purpose of the system is to control the observance of standards of ethics. It also protects the welfare of human beings from potential research risks. IRB performs the initial and continuing review of research protocols regarding negative events and amendments. However, obtaining approval from IRB is complicated by various barriers that need to be considered and addressed.
The specific process of IRB application to the practicum site consists of several steps. The first one is determining whether the project requires approval by IRB. After, it is necessary to complete the researchers’ mandatory online certification. The third and fourth steps are completing the IRB research project application and preparing the informed consent document. The most critical stage is submitting the proposal form with further modifications required after IRB review. The last step is sending a close-out form of the research project to IRB.
There are several challenges expected while applying for central IRB. First, IRB may try to impose strict biomedical standards (King et al., 2017). Second, some requirements suggest not using data gained from minority and low-income society’s parts (King et al., 2017). Consequently, it decreases the study population’s diversity and limits the research’s generalizability (King et al., 2017). For instance, concerning health communication research, such restrictions lead to difficulties while reading the material (King et al., 2017). Another challenge is the difficulty with scheduling meeting dates (Spellecy et al., 2018). It is suggested to present templates involving study design, research questions, and sampling approaches (Liberale & Kovach, 2017). The time until the final approval letter may take about 27 days (Spellecy et al., 2018). To overcome these barriers, it is suggested to start working on the IRB application as soon as possible.
With regard to an individual who can help overcome any potential barriers, there is no such person. However, it is possible to schedule meetings with IRB committee members. They can assist in providing the proper guidance concerning potential risks. The meeting can address the potential challenges in advance of submitting the study for review. Thus, it should prevent limitations and misunderstandings with the IRB committee before submitting the paper for the review process.
References
King, C. S. T., Bivens, K. M., Pumroy, E., Rauch, S., & Koerber, A. (2018). IRB problems and solutions in health communication research.Health Communication, 33(7), 907-916. Web.
Liberale, A. P., & Kovach, J. V. (2017). Reducing the time for IRB reviews: A case study. Journal of Research Administration, 48(2), 37-50.
Spellecy, R., Eve, A. M., Connors, E. R., Shaker, R., & Clark, D. C. (2018). The real-time IRB: A collaborative innovation to decrease IRB review time.Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 13(4), 432-437. Web.