Ethicists back research rules

ETHICS experts agree with a federal government report that the introduction of mandatory registration and formal complaints procedures for human research ethics committees should be given consideration..

ETHICS experts agree with a federal government report that the introduction of mandatory registration and formal complaints procedures for human research ethics committees should be given consideration..

The National Health and Medical Research Council report, commissioned by federal Health Minister Tony Abbott and released this

month, called for improvements in the human research ethics committee system.

NHMRC chief executive Warwick Anderson made three suggestions in the report: the mandatory registration of committees; a more reliable method of monitoring compliance by researchers; and the establishment of a formal complaints process.

"The current system has evolved to suit Australian circumstances and in general has worked well to protect research participants under local conditions," Professor Anderson said.

"However, improvements are needed ... It is time to take the next steps in the evolution of the Australian system."

The University of Melbourne's Chris Cordner, who chaired the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research earlier this year, welcomed the suggestion for a formal complaints process beyond the institutions.

"There is no formal process for dealing with complaints by researchers who are not happy with the decision made on their research," he said.

Complaints were made to the Australian Health Ethics Committee but it dealt only with compliance in relation to the national standards: "And that may not satisfy the complainant," Associate Professor Cordner said.

AHEC chairman Colin Thomson said the issues of formal complaints and registration should be open to discussion if it helped maintain public confidence in the system.

The report would help public awareness on the role of human research ethic committees.

"It might generate some discussion," Professor Thomson said.

"A lot of Australians don't know that the human research ethics system exists."

The chairman of Monash University's standing committee on ethics in research involving humans, Gary Bouma, said the issues raised in the report were important.

Professor Bouma said it was a useful step to make registration of committees mandatory.

"Universities and hospitals have been compliant, but there are some smaller organisations with committees that could do well with registration," he said.

"But these committees are very diligent and very considered."

Professor Bouma said Monash already had a formal complaints procedure and he did not think it was necessary to establish a system-wide appeals mechanism.

"I think there are ways to improve," he said.

"But overall we have a system that is working extremely well."