Ethical review process in academia

Abstract

The UK Government issued a requirement on 1 April 1998 that all establishments designate under the 1986 Act should have an ethical review process (ERP) satisfactorily installed by 1 April 1999. This document, which has been circulated by the Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA) to its members, is a report of a meeting held to formulate guidelines to assist establishments in the process of setting up an ERP. The document builds on the experience of participants who had already had experience of either establishing or running an ERP, and addresses the requirements of an ERP, taking into account that different establishments will have different needs and that therefore the structure of ERPs may differ. The booklet provides a number of excellent bullet points addressing the roles of those involved in an ERP, how to review an existing ERP, and concerns that people may have about such issues as confidentiality or possible delays to experiments. LASA is to be commended for producing such a useful document in a comparatively short time. Moreover, as the ERP is seen as an evolving concept, the booklet should continue to be useful for a number of years to come.