Assessment of the Ethical Standards for Research with Human Participants during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Ethical standards are important for promoting research goals and protecting human research participants from the risks associated with research. During public health emergencies such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, adhering to ethical standards and procedures that inform the review and implementation of research presents important challenges. The main objective of this study was to assess the ethical standards for research involving human participants and the challenges faced by both researchers and ethics review committees in their work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Methods: This study employed a concurrent mixed-methods design involving qualitative interviews with Chairpersons and Administrators of Six (6) research ethics committees and a survey of 360 researchers across Ghana. Guided by the study's objectives, the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, while the quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, where frequency tables and figures were generated. Results: The study revealed that before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, IRB/RECs in Ghana held face-to-face meetings regularly and received protocols manually. However, IRB/REC operations were affected by the COVID-19 restrictions, which necessitated a transition to virtual meetings. Some IRB/RECs collaborated with other regulatory authorities, such as the Food and Drugs Authority, to streamline the ethics and regulatory review process. This included the introduction of online submissions and accelerated reviews for COVID-19- related protocols. While most of the ethics standards for research, such as informed consent, were followed strictly by researchers during the pandemic, there were challenges with implementing some research activities under COVID-19 restrictions. IRB/RECs also experienced challenges during the review process, including poor internet connectivity, the workload during review meetings, protocol approval delays, inability to meet schedules and timelines, absenteeism, and inadequate funding. Conclusion: Ethical standards and procedures for research with human participants were followed by IRB/RECs and researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study has highlighted important ethical challenges experienced by IRB/RECs and researchers in the review and implementation of research during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to anticipate these challenges and identify innovative ways of addressing them in future pandemics to protect research participants and promote the ethical conduct of research in Ghana and beyond.