Strengthening research ethics governance and regulatory oversight in Central America and the Dominican Republic in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Health Research Policy and Systems

Research

Roxana Lescano¹  Briana Beltrán²  Renata Mendizábal-Cabrera³  Mario Soriano⁴  Jackeline Alger⁵  Eleonora Espinoza⁵  Eddys Rafael Mendoza Marrero⁶  Reyna Sepulveda⁶  Julio Arturo Canario Guzmán⁷  Jessie Orlich⁸  Elsy Cárcamo⁹  Claudia Nieto Anderson⁹  Nicole Feune de Colombi^1,10  Trudie Lang^1,10  Eddy Pérez-Then^1,11  Claude Vergès^1,12  Argentina Ying^1,12 

[1] Asociación para el Empleo de Animales en Investigación y Docencia, ASOPEBAID, Lima, Peru;Centro Nacional de Educación Médica Continua (CENEMEC), Colegio Médico de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras;Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala;Comisión Nacional Ética de Investigación en Salud, San Salvador, El Salvador;Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Tegucigalpa, Honduras;Instituto de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitología Antonio Vidal, Tegucigalpa, Honduras;Fundación Etikos, Inc., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;Fundación Etikos, Inc., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;Centro Nacional de Investigaciones en Salud Materno Infantil Dr. Hugo Mendoza (CENISMI), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;Instituto Costarricense de Investigaciones Clínicas, San Jose, Costa Rica;Instituto de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitología Antonio Vidal, Tegucigalpa, Honduras;Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;Two Oceans in Health, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;Universidad de Panamá, Panama, Panama;

关键词: Central America;    Collaboration;    Community engagement;    COVID-19;    Dominican Republic;    Governance;    Health emergencies;    Regulations;    Research ethics;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12961-022-00933-z

 received in 2022-07-14, accepted in 2022-11-07,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundGood governance and regulatory supervision are required to conduct research in an international public health emergency context and to ensure compliance with ethical standards. The “Strengthening research ethics governance and regulatory oversight in Central America and the Dominican Republic in response to the COVID-19 pandemic” study is a regional effort in which research ethics stakeholders participated in addressing research ethics governance and preparedness response challenges to the COVID-19 pandemic in Central America and the Dominican Republic.MethodsA qualitative action research study was conducted following a participatory approach. Research ethics stakeholders in Central America and the Dominican Republic were mapped; a regional webinar and three virtual workshops were conducted discussing research ethics governance, ethics review and collaborative research practice during the pandemic. A roundtable session presented results and obtained feedback on a draft of a policy to strengthen regional research ethics governance.ResultsCountries across Central America and the Dominican Republic are at different stages in their development of research ethics systems. Countries with more established systems before COVID-19 were better organized and prepared to respond. This finding argues against improvisation and supports further work on strengthening governance of research ethics systems. Community engagement in research ethics public policy-making is practically absent in the region. Research and research ethics collaboration schemes are lacking amongst the countries; however, there are incipient initiatives in the region, such as the Central America and Caribbean Network of Research Ethics Committees. A policy brief with recommendations on how to advance towards strengthening the governance of research ethics systems was prepared and submitted to the Central American Integration System for analysis and possible approval.ConclusionNational research ethics systems in Central America and the Dominican Republic were unprepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to research oversight and effective collaboration. In most cases, national research ethics systems were found to be weak, and regional research collaboration was practically absent. To promote collaboration, a joint strategy needs to be developed with a regional vision towards sharing knowledge and best practices.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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