The Silent Majority: Who Speaks at IRB Meetings?

In a new article in IRB Ethics titled "The Silent Majority: Who Speaks at IRB Meetings?" Philip J. Candilis and colleagues observe that "institutional review boards (IRBs) are almost universally considered to be overworked and understaffed. They also require substantial commitments of time and resources from their members. Although some surveys report average IRB memberships of 15 people or more, federal regulations require only five."



Candilis and colleagues present data on IRB meetings at eight of the top 25 academic medical centers in the United States funded by the National Institutes of Health. These data indicate substantial contributions from primary reviewers and chairs during protocol discussions but little from other members.  In this exhaustive and detailed review, I complained of the same sort of problems in the close cousins of IRBs, healthcare ethics committees.  This is a topic I plan to return to in December.