How do Ethics Committees work, a qualitative study from Turkey

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Temel Tıp Bilimleri Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2024

Tezin Dili: Türkçe

Öğrenci: ABDULLAH TASKIN

Danışman: Fatma Yeşim Işıl Ülman

Özet:

How do Research Ethics Committees Work: A Qualitative Study from Turkey

Research Ethics Committees (REC) are the boards that evaluate in a wide range of studies from non-interventional or interventional trials on humans, biological materials of human origin, to a wide spectrum of study designs based on the use of personal health data. They aim to respect for human rights, human dignity, autonomy, safety, confidentiality and privacy, balancing with progress and advancement in science in line with ethical values and principles. The structure and functioning of the REC are diversified depending on the features of studies operating in compliance with international guidelines and local regulations on research integrity.

 

This study aims to obtain information about the ways in which the RECs work in Turkey, and to provide information about their functioning in light of international declarations and guidelines upholding universal ethical principles and values. It was conducted by in-depth interviews with the active members of the RECs from different universities and hospitals in Turkey. 23 ethics committee members from diverse disciplines took part in the study. Oral and written informed consent were obtained from every participant. Interviews were carried out by using the semi-structured interview guide form, and recorded by a professional voice recorder. The content of the interviews was analyzed in line with the qualitative study methodology.

 

In conclusion, this study has provided deeper information about the working dynamics of the RECs in Turkey. It has demonstrated that ethics committee members work meticulously to balance their academic duties with long working hours for the Committee tasks. However, the secretarial services are one of the most important and missing components that effect the working systematic of any ethics committee. The contributions of biostatistics, public health  and ethics disciplines proved to be necessary during the ethical evaluation. It attracts attention to the instrumental purpose of some of the ethical committee applications rather than any substantial contribution to science. Power relations are rather challenging for members who are aware of some discrepancies between international guidelines and local practices. Ethics committees play a significant role to increase scientific and ethical sensitivity of researchers, and to introduce plural decision-making strategies during responsible conduct of research. 

Keywords: Research ethics committees, Qualitative research, Research integrity, Turkey context