Think Ethics: public dialogue report highlights the trust placed in Research Ethics Committees

In late 2021 the Health Research Authority (HRA) commissioned HVM to find out more about the public’s hopes, fears and expectations about ethics review of research. Independent research ethics review ensures that the rights and wellbeing of people taking part are at the heart of all research. It reassures the public that health and social care research is designed and carried out in a way which responds to their needs, enables them to make informed choices about whether to take part, and ensures they are treated fairly.

The dialogue was commissioned to gain a depth of understanding on three questions:

• What are the most important questions to ask to ensure that research is ethical?

• What is the right process for ethical review?

• Who should be involved in the ethics review process?

46 participants from a wide UK demographic took part in the public dialogue over two weeks in January 2022.  The samples for ethnic minority and lower socio-economic groups were boosted to ensure their perspectives were heard. A small number of participants were recruited who had experience of healthcare research.

This rapid public dialogue will now inform the ongoing work of the HRA’s Think Ethics programme. The key findings from the dialogue tell us that public dialogue participants:

• Give widespread support for alternative ethics review methods

• Call for more diverse committee membership and research participation

• Desire increased HRA visibility to build trust in the rigour of health and care research

• Ongoing monitoring of ethics, beyond approval is desirable - to demonstrate that the ethical features of research are being adhered to throughout the research study.

The full dialogue findings can be downloaded here. These include conclusions drawn from HVM analysis.