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Clinical Audit and Reform of the UK Research Ethics Review System

Cave, Emma; Nichols, Christopher

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Authors

Christopher Nichols



Abstract

There is an international consensus that medical research involving humans should only be undertaken in accordance with ethical principles. Paradoxically though, there is no consensus over the kinds of activities that constitute research and should be subject to review. In the UK and elsewhere, research requiring review is distinguished from clinical audit. Unfortunately the two activities are not always easy to differentiate from one another. Moreover, as the volume of audit increases and becomes more formal in response to the demand for evidence-based practice in medicine, the overlap between research and audit grows more acute. Arguably, similar ethical standards and systems for ensuring that those standards are met should be applied regardless of whether or not a project is classified as research or audit. At a time when the research ethics review system in the UK is undergoing significant reform it is important that the opportunity is not missed to address the longstanding research-audit problem. We discuss suggestions for further reform that addresses this issue.

Citation

Cave, E., & Nichols, C. (2007). Clinical Audit and Reform of the UK Research Ethics Review System. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 28(3), 181-203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-007-9034-0

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jun 1, 2007
Deposit Date Aug 7, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics
Print ISSN 1386-7415
Electronic ISSN 1573-1200
Publisher Springer
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 28
Issue 3
Pages 181-203
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-007-9034-0
Keywords Audit, Research, Ethics, Publication ethics, Ethics committees.

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