The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) will introduce a national certification and evaluation framework for the Human Research Ethics Committee (HRECs) or Institutional Review Board Committee (IRBs) through the National Center for Health Research (NCHR). The framework aims to effectively implement and comply with the National Guidelines for (HRECs) or (IRBs) and the National Framework for regulating health research ethics in the UAE.
The National Certification Scheme ensures consistent adherence to ethical review standards in the healthcare sector, academic institutions, and related health research centres. This will facilitate mutual recognition of ethics reviews between institutions, prevent unnecessary duplication of ethics reviews, streamline administrative processes, and enable the effective conduct of cross-institutional research, including multi-site clinical trials. Additionally, this scheme ensures that all HRECs/IRBs comply with the guidelines and procedures outlined in the National Guidelines. By adopting this scheme, transparency, efficiency, harmonization, and quality of ethics reviews can be safeguarded and improved throughout the UAE.
The National Certification Scheme should ensure that the Institutional Review Board and the Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) /IRBS comply with the policies and procedures per the National Guidelines. These guidelines are recognized nationally and must be followed to safeguard participants in clinical trials and health research. The committees must demonstrate their commitment to established guidelines and best practices by obtaining certification. This fosters a consistent and strict approach to ethics review across the UAE. The National Certification Scheme also includes an HRECs/ IRBs auditing process to improve ongoing assessment and compliance with the National Guidelines.
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