Climate change and the IRB review process of a Protocol

Introduction: Climate change is a global environmental threat that affects societies involuntarily, making it one of the greatest health inequities present days. Now a day, Research is concentrated on understanding the extensive consequences of climate change on health and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to adjust and alleviate these effects. Special ethical consideration and actions is required in this occasion to address additional ethical questions and concerns than the conventional one. The Institutional Ethical Review Board (IERB) is vital in maintaining ethical standards in research by safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of participants. They evaluate research protocols, examine potential risks and benefits, and offer researchers advice on ethical matters and adherence to regulations either by modification/update or continuing review of the protocol. Purpose: Find out the gap and solution between climate change, health research and ethics. Focus: IERB could play a pivotal role to fill this gap by facilitating policy makers about increase awareness of the importance of ethics in this regard, possessing action guide for the health practitioners that reflecting good ethical practice during research and incorporating IERB.

Background: The prevalence of emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and stress, among students in healthcare-related fields is a growing concern. Frequently, this distress intensifies into burnout, which has a serious negative influence on their physical and mental health in addition to their academic performance. Objective: To investigate the association of academic burnout with emotional distress and coping mechanisms among physical therapy students. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, data were gathered from Undergraduate Physical Therapy students from different medical schools and institutions located in Karachi, Pakistan. Software from Rao Soft was used to determine the sample size. With a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence range, 120 was the estimated sample size, by using non-probability convenience sampling. Students who did not fill out the questionnaire were excluded. First-informed consent was obtained from each participant. The purpose and procedure of the study were explained to them, and questionnaires were distributed. Permission was obtained from The Institutional Ethical Review Board. The confidentiality of the data was maintained, and the identity of the participants was not revealed. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Chi-square, and t-test were used for analysis. Permission was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee and Review Board. All participants completed self-report surveys that included demographic questions. One-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the sixteen-item Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-School, and the list of coping activities adapted from Glaise Anne H. et al. study in 2018 to identify the type and frequency of coping behaviours used by the students for self-care. Results: In this study of physical therapy students, stress levels showed 58.3% with normal stress, but 17.5% experienced moderate, and 13.3% severe to extremely severe stress. Anxiety and depression were also prominent, with 25% reporting extremely severe anxiety and 9.2% severe depression. Significant correlations were found between stress and anxiety (r=0.747), and stress and depression (r=0.649), indicating strong interconnections among these factors. Conclusion: The mental health assessment showed significant levels of burnout among the students. There is a significant relationship between stress, anxiety, and depression, and points towards the need for multifaceted approaches in supporting student well-being and mental health.

Water sprays from an open fire hydrant in Brooklyn, New York, in the midst of a July 2010 heat wave that affected much of the eastern United States.In 2007 the New York City Department of Environmental Protection first teamed up with Alianza Dominicana, a Washington Heights community organization, to educate city residents about the appropriate use of fire hydrants and other ways

<p>Indonesia faces significant pressure from deforestation, climate change, and globalization, which exacerbate environmental vulnerabilities and threaten societal sustainability. An inclusive approach based on green policy is needed to integrate environmental protection, sustainable resource management, and strategic communication in addressing the complex challenges of global environmental threats. This study aims to analyze national green policy strategies in response to global environmental threats, focusing on three main aspects: (1) analyzing the impact of globalization on the environment, including changes in communication patterns in addressing environmental challenges; (2) examining the role of government communication in developing and implementing strategies to combat global warming; and (3) identifying the failures of international environmental regulations in addressing global issues and their impact on national security. This case study employs a qualitative method, involving the Indonesian Defense University and the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency, with a total of 10 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data collection for this research was conducted through observation and documentation. The findings reveal that globalization significantly affects the environment through the exploitation of natural resources by multinational corporations and changes in communication patterns, which require the government to leverage digital technology to counter disinformation and enhance environmental awareness. Government communication plays a strategic role in formulating policies and mobilizing society to address global warming. Meanwhile, the failure of international regulations exacerbates the impact of climate change, increasing national security threats through resource conflicts and climate-induced migration. The effectiveness of national green policies depends on the integration of communication strategies, cultural value protection, and cross-sectoral coordination to holistically address global environmental challenges. This study provides an original contribution by combining local cultural approaches and national security strategies in green policy, an aspect that has been largely overlooked in previous research.</p>

Für klinische Studien muss vor Beginn ein positives Votum der zuständigen Ethikkommissionen eingeholt werden. In Deutschland gibt es fast 50 unabhängige Ethikkommissionen, die für die einzelnen Standorte in Multicenterstudien zuständig sein können. Da gerade bei Studien an seltenen Erkrankungen eine Beteiligung von vielen Zentren notwendig ist, stellt das Beantragungsverfahren bei akademischen Multicenterstudien für maligne hämatologische Erkrankungen häufig einen bürokratischen Albtraum dar. Einzelne Aspekte der Antragstellung sowie Ansätze für mögliche Verbesserungen werden dargestellt.

Datasets constitute a fundamental part of any medical research. Medical data sets (ie, medical records) are generally noted to be large, comp lex, heterogeneous, hierarchical, t ime related, and of varying quality. Such frag mented and distributed data sets challenge efficient data integration and interpretation. Application of data min ing techniques for healthcare related data will be h ighly rewarding. Lack of do main knowledge within healthcare providers calls for active collaboration between the doctor and data miner. Ethical concerns, especially issues of consent and confidentiality have resulted in the introduction of stringent regulations in doing this form o f research in Ind ia. However we found that only 16% of the reviewed publications in medical data mining within India reported of having undergone ethical rev iew. This suggests that the ethical considerations while p racticing data mining is very much undermined. It is mandatory to obtain ethical and legal clearance fro m reg ional as well as Institutional Ethics Rev iew Board (IERB), before using data min ing tools in health care research.

Tackling the Research Challenges of Health and Climate Change

When policies of or activities within one country and generation cause deleterious consequences for those of other nations and later generations, they can constitute serious injustices. Hence, anthropogenic climate change poses not only a global environmental threat, but also one to international and intergenerational justice. The avoidance of such injustice has been recognized as a primary objective of global climate policy, and this book aims to comprehend the nature of this objective–to explore how climate change raises issues of international and intergenerational justice and to consider how the design of a global climate regime might these aims into account. Enlisting conceptual tools from ethics as well as legal and political theory, it treats justice as concerned with equity and responsibility and considers how each is undermined by climate change but might be incorporated into climate policy. Various theoretical problems in applying norms of equity and responsibility across borders, over time, and to nations for their greenhouse emissions are considered, and responses are given to these challenges. Finally, an outline for a global climate policy that adequately incorporates norms of justice is articulated and defended, along with a case for procedural fairness in policy development processes. Demonstrating how political theory can usefully contribute toward better understanding the proper human response to climate change as well as how the climate case offers insights into resolving contemporary controversies within political theory, the book offers a case study in which the application of normative theory to policy allows readers to better understand both.

Invasive species and climate change are considered as the most serious global environmental threats. In this study, we investigated the influence of projected global climate change on the potential distribution of one of the world's most successful invader weed, bushmint (Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit.). We used spatial data on 20 environmental variables at a grid resolution of 5km, and 564 presence records of bushmint from its native and introduced range. The climatic profiles ofthe native and invaded sites were analyzed in a multi-variate space in order to examine the differences in the position of climatic niches. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model was used to predict the potential distribution of bushmint using presence records from entire range (invaded and native) along with 14 eco-physiologically relevant predictor variables. Subsequently, the trained MaxEnt model was fed with Hadley Centre Coupled Model (HadCM3) climate projections to predict potential distribution of bushmint by the year 2050 under A2a and B2a emission scenarios. MaxEnt predictions were very accurate with an Area Under Curve (AUC) value of 0.95. The results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that climatic niche of bushminton the invaded sites is not entirely similar to its climatic niche in the native range. A vast area spread between 34° 02' north and 28° 18' south latitudes in tropics was predicted climatically suitable for bushmint. West and middle Africa, tropical southeast Asia, and northern Australia were predicted at high invasion risk. Study indicates enlargement, retreat, or shift across bushmint's invasion range under the influence of climate change. Globally, bushmint's potential distribution might shrink in future with more shrinkage for A2a scenario than B2a. The study outcome has immense potential for undertaking effective preventive/control measures and long-term management strategies forregions/countries, which are at higher risk of bushmint's invasion.

Malaysian Policy on Environmental Security

Gaining ethical approval from an institutional ethical review board is essential in medical research involving human subjects in general and in palliative care research specifically. This chapter introduces the purpose of ethical review boards and describes key aspects of ethical approval: study validity, research team expertise, participant recruitment plans, informed consent procedures, and data management plans. It also provides some practical tips on gaining ethical approval from an ethical review board, ranging from starting the process in time, and checking whether the study may be exempt from ethical review, to risk identification and communication of changes to the study. Finally, the chapter highlights the potential vulnerability of patients and families, incapacity of patients, and the option of proxy consent as aspects of interest that are more common in palliative care research.

Mental health and climate change: tackling invisible injustice

Managing flood risks in a changing climate

Background: Despite a growing body of literature, utilization of nursing research remains relatively low even within academic health care institutions. Objective: The purpose of this study was to (1) investigate barriers for utilization of research in nursing practice in multiple nursing roles (staff nurses and nursing leadership) within an academic health care setting, and (2) identify strategies that may influence nurses' perceptions to utilizing research in nursing practice. Design: This study was a prospective, descriptive, cross‐sectional study. Population, Sample, Setting: The subjects were 181 nurses employed at a tertiary care hospital in Southern Ontario, Canada. Methods: A self‐administered questionnaire identifying demographics, and perceptions of barriers and facilitators to utilizing nursing research in practice was sent to 640 nurses. Results were entered into an SPSS database, and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Ethical considerations included approval from the Institutional Ethics Review Board. Findings: Twenty‐eight percentage of the invited participants responded to the questionnaire. The subjects identified four particular barriers that affected their utilization of research in practice to a great extent: awareness of the research (33%), lack of time to read the research (39%), feeling that the nurse does not have the authority to change practice procedures (41%), and insufficient time on the job to implement new ideas (49%). Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that a strategic approach to enhancing utilization of nursing research in practice is essential. Organized activities enhance nurses' awareness of research in their field, and developing processes for nurses to participate in practice change is very important. In addition, providing time for nurses to read and implement research will have a positive impact on the utilization of nursing research in practice.

The twentieth century witnessed a succession of heinous experiments on human subjects in the name of science. The deplorable nature of these experiments led to the development of several guidelines that laid down the principles of research ethics. Respect, beneficence, and justice are the principles that form the foundation of research ethics today. These principles should be implemented through the channels of the informed consent process, privacy and confidentiality, risk benefit analysis, and fair recruitment. Proper implementation of research ethics ensures the protection of the rights and well-being of the participants. Some individuals are considered to be “vulnerable” in the research context because their autonomy is either diminished or lacking. Examples include children, some elderly persons, those with temporary or permanent cognitive impairment, prisoners, and refugees. Vulnerable groups require additional protection measures if they are involved in research. Public health research differs from general health research that necessitates additional ethical considerations. Research involving public health interventions or research conducted during public emergencies, such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks, has unique ethical challenges. Furthermore, in public health research, an understanding or familiarity with the community in which the research will be done is essential to ethical conduct of research. Research ethics committees [otherwise known as institutional review boards (IRB)] play a central role in research involving human participants. The proposed research must be reviewed and approved prior to initiation and monitored thereafter with ongoing reviews of safety reports, progress reports, and emerging information or circumstances that may impact the study. A substantial number of conditions need to be met to ensure research starts and then remains ethical. Researchers should be qualified by education, training, and experience to take on the role of investigators. The scientific aspects of the research should be robust and valid and the research itself should be purposeful. It is important that ethical considerations be a constant, integrated into the research undertaking, from inception right through to the dissemination and or sharing of the results.