Ethics Committee Membership Research Articles

Lay members of New Zealand research ethics committees: Who and what do they represent?

Since the 1988 Cartwright Inquiry, lay members of ethics committees have been tasked with ensuring that ordinary New Zealanders are not forgotten in ethical deliberations. Unlike Institutional Review Boards (IRBs, or ethics committees) in North America, where lay members constitute a fraction of ethics committee membership, 50% of most New Zealand ethics committees are comprised of lay members. Lay roles are usually defined in very broad terms, which can vary considerably from committee to committee. This research queries who lay representatives are, what they do, and what if anything they represent. Our findings are based on data collection with 12 participants: eight semi-structured interviews with lay members from diverse types of ethics committees who described their roles, and commentary from four ethics committee chairs, three of these lay members who commented on this article’s final draft. Findings indicate that the role of New Zealand lay persons – although distinctively valued – is otherwise similar to the documented role of lay persons within North American ethics committees. Lay members see their role as primarily protecting the research participant and at times offering a corrective to non-lay members’ views and the interests of their institutions. However, in spite of their numbers, most lay members do not see themselves as representing any particular constituent groups or institutionally unaffiliated areas of concern. On tertiary education committees especially, there is a good deal of ambiguity in the lay role.

Analysis of Animal Research Ethics Committee Membership at American Institutions.

Simple SummaryThis study analyzed the membership of animal experimentation oversight committees at leading U.S. research institutions. We found the leadership and general membership of these committees to be dominated by animal researchers and the remainder of the committees to be largely comprised of other institutional representatives. These arrangements may contribute to previously-documented committee biases in favor of approving animal experiments and dilute input from the few members representing animal welfare and the interests of the general public.Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) were created to review, approve and oversee animal experiments and to balance the interests of researchers, animals, institutions and the general public. This study analyzed the overall membership of IACUCs at leading U.S. research institutions. We found that these committees and their leadership are comprised of a preponderance of animal researchers, as well as other members who are affiliated with each institution; some of whom also work in animal laboratories. This overwhelming presence of animal research and institutional interests may dilute input from the few IACUC members representing animal welfare and the general public, contribute to previously-documented committee bias in favor of approving animal experiments and reduce the overall objectivity and effectiveness of the oversight system.

Ethics Committee Membership Selection: A Moral Preference Tool

How the diversity of membership of research ethics committees is arrived at has, to date, largely been fairly arbitrary. However, a tool to help determine one's moral preference is now available and it is introduced here as, arguably, having the potential to assist with ensuring a more meaningful diversity amongst an ethics committee's membership. The tool is seen to be easily applied – but, it is argued, may be conceived on at least two false premises. Firstly, despite different theories of ethics, none can be proved to give the ‘right’ answer other than in its own terms. Secondly, if there is an ethical hierarchy, as the model suggests, then ethical diversity must become redundant for the possibility of achieving ethical excellence.

Report of the ACA Ethics Committee: 2006–2007

This report summarizes the activities of the American Counseling Association Ethics Committee during the period from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007. Ethics Committee membership, an overview of the mission of the Ethics Committee and goals for 2006–2007, summary data of the complaints filed and the inquiries received, and education activities of the Committee are presented.

Report of the ACA Ethics Committee: 2005–2006

This report summarizes the activities of the American Counseling Association Ethics Committee during the period from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. Ethics Committee membership, an overview of the mission of the Ethics Committee and goals for 2005–2006, summary data of the complaints filed and the inquiries received, and education activities of the Committee are presented.

Report of the ACA Ethics Committee: 2001–2002

This report summarizes the activities of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Ethics Committee during the period of July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002. An overview of the mission of the Ethics Committee, Ethics Committee membership, educational activities, review of policies and procedures, and adjudication activities is presented.

Who decides? A look at ethics committee membership.

Who decides? A look at ethics committee membership.

Institutional ethics committees: a survey of children's hospitals.

Institutional ethics committees first gained national prominence after the 1976 Karen Ann Quinlin decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court. However, it wasn't until the Federal Government promulgated the Baby Doe regulations in 1983 that significant movement occurred toward implementing such committees. Currently, statistics show that the number of ethics committees are increasing in health care institutions across the country. However, the majority of studies have focused on adult institutions. The membership of ethics committees and the objectives under which the committees function are usually addressed by the studies. Very little attention has been given to the nursing representation on the institutional ethics committee and the unique role played by nurses in the deliberation of ethical decision-making. It is the intent of this research to shed some light on the availability and functions of ethics committees within children's hospitals. Attention has also been given to the nurses' involvement on such committees. Additionally, the study takes a separate look at nursing ethics committees, their function within an institution, and the availability of ethics education for nurses. The study offers information not previously acknowledged in past studies of ethics committees. The study also opens up to consideration the unique concerns of nurses and their roles in ethical decision-making.