Ethics Committees for Clinical Research – The West-European Paradigm

Abstract

The term 'Ethics Committee' covers bodies of different responsibility and legal competence. There are ethics committees dealing with general questions in medicine and healthcare, others are more linked to the situation in hospitals and to questions on individual treatment. In contrast to these groups other ethics committees are exclusively entrusted with the ethical examination of research projects. For the latter type the denomination 'research ethics committee' abbreviated as 'RECs', becomes more and more familiar. Research ethics committees are the exclusive focus of the following contribution. This chapter discusses the legal basis of RECs, including the responsibilities of research ethics committees, scientific quality of research, legal aspects of RECs, and ethical responsibilities of RECs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)