Assessment of the Operational Characteristics of Research Ethics Committees in Ghana
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SAGE
Abstract
There were eighteen Research Ethics Committees (RECs) operating in Ghana as of December 2019 but no empirical
assessment of their operational characteristics had been conducted. We assessed the characteristics of Ghanaian RECs
using an existing Self-Assessment Tool for RECs in Developing Countries. We present results from nine RECs that participated in this nation-wide assessment. Our results indicate that the RECs are generally adherent to the recommendations
in the Tool including being composed of members with diverse expertise. They also reviewed and approved research protocols as well as had access to some limited funding for their activities. There is no national policy on research human protections or an ethics authority to regulate the activities of the RECs. We recommend the establishment of this authority in
Ghana while encouraging institutions to sustain efforts aimed at making their RECs operate independently.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Research Ethics Committees, operational, characteristics, ghana