Author/Authors :
Hashemi, Akram Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Bahmani, Fatemeh Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Saeedi Tehrani, Saeedeh Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Forouzandeh, Mina Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Koohpayehzadeh, Jalil Community Medicine Department - Faculty of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Ashrafi, Mortaza Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Khalajzadeh, Majid Reza Department of Medical Ethics - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Motevalian, Abbas Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors (ReCARB) - Psychosocial Health Research Institute (PHRI) - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract :
Background: Research ethics committees are comprised of policymakers, supervisors, and decision-makers and aim at increasing
adherence to professional ethics standards in conducting health-related research. The existential philosophy of these committees is to
preserve the patients’ health, maintain and promote public trust in health care providers, protect the rights of both patients and health
care providers, and promote organizational ethics.
However, this task can be complex and challenging during a public health emergency. Research ethics committees set the standard of
research in the emergency situations through defining which research has the potential to promote the quality of response to a public
health emergency.
Methods: This study aims at collecting and classifying the valuable experiences of the research ethics committee members and
reviewers during the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran University of Medical Sciences, one of the major universities in
Tehran. It provides a basic understanding of the key concepts and challenges in reviewing and approving research by research ethics
committees and the recommendations to overcome these challenging issues.
Results: To accelerate the review process of COVID-19 research proposals, the scientific, methodological and ethical review panel
was integrated as a large committee called ‘IUMS Corona Research Team’. The first meeting was held on March 7, two weeks after the
official announcement of the first case of the disease and is continued once a week. A total of 130 projects have been discussed and
evaluated in this committee, among which 83 proposals were approved after modification.
Conclusion: An interdisciplinary approach supports a flexible and effective scientific and ethical review of research leading to more
protection of research subjects as well as promotion in the treatment and management of the pandemic ahead.
