Sites rate their relationships with IRBs

Institutional review boards (IRBs) received generally positive ratings for their relation­ships with investigative sites, according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by Cen­terWatch, yet the survey also identified key opportunities for improvement. In addition, nearly half of respondents polled consider the level of IRB oversight excessive. The quality of relationships between IRBs and investigative sites has improved in recent years as review boards have implemented more efficient processes and technologies to streamline ethical review processes. Overall, about three-fourths of respondents gave IRBs “good” or “excellent” ratings across a majority of the relationship quality attributes measured.

eConsent adoption advancing and fluid 

Electronic informed consent, known as eConsent, is designed to relay study in­formation to patients on a computer or portable device rather than paper. For many reasons, its adoption has been slow, but it continues to evolve. eConsent technology has been continually transformed to include finger­print and retinal scan recognition to replace the signature, and an algorithm running behind tablet-based animations to gauge and score comprehension. Today, eConsent technology is being harnessed to better serve patients. While some in the industry are pre­paring for its more widespread adoption, ob­serving slow but steady gains in recent years, others continue to circle it.

To read the full articles for this issue of The CenterWatch Monthly, please click here for subscription information.