| Department: |
UAMS Human Research Advisory Committee |
|
Policy Number: |
17.5 |
|
Section: |
Special Populations |
|
Effective Date: |
July 31, 2002 |
|
Revision Date: |
|
The regulations recognize that
"the procedures normally followed in the foreign countries [in which the
research will take place] may differ from those set forth in this policy"
[38CFR16.101(h); 45 CFR 46.101(h)]. Research may be approved, therefore, if "the
procedures prescribed by the [foreign] institution afford protections that are
at least equivalent to those provided in this policy." The foreign country's
procedures may then be substituted for the procedures required by the federal
regulations. Approval of the substitution is to be given by the relevant federal
department or agency head after review of the foreign procedures; notice of
actions taken on such reviews is to be published in the Federal Register
(or elsewhere, as provided for in department or agency procedures). [Note that
the FDA has not adopted this provision for research that it regulates. All
FDA-funded research, however, must comply with both DHHS and FDA
regulations.]
The procedure for approving
DHHS-supported research with a foreign component begins with the domestic
institution with which the U.S. investigator(s) are affiliated. If the U.S.
institution has an approved MPA on file with DHHS, the proposed research must be
reviewed and approved by the institution's HRAC before submission for funding,
as with any research involving human subjects. If DHHS funds the research, each foreign
institution should, upon request, submit an appropriate Assurance to OHRP.
Since, at the present time, no international code prescribes exactly the same
procedures for protecting human subjects as do the U.S. regulations, OHRP
reviews the actual procedures detailed by the foreign institution as the primary
basis for negotiating acceptable Assurances. International codes will, however,
be taken into consideration in the negotiations. If the institution's practices
are not equivalent to the U.S. regulations, OHRP can require that particular
procedures be followed before recommending approval of the substitution.
An institution becomes
"engaged" in human subjects research when its employees or agents (i) intervene
or interact with living individuals for research purposes; or (ii) obtain
individually identifiable private information for research purposes [45 CFR
46.102(d),(f)].
An institution is automatically
considered to be "engaged" in human subjects research whenever it receives a
direct HHS award to support such research. In such cases, the awardee
institution bears ultimate responsibility for protecting human subjects under
the award.
Examples
|
1. |
Institutions
would be considered "engaged" in human subjects research (and would need
an Assurance) if their nonexempt involvement includes the
following: |
|
|
a. |
Institutions
whose employees or agents intervene with living individuals by performing
invasive or noninvasive procedures for research purposes (e.g., drawing
blood; collecting other biological samples; dispensing drugs;
administering other treatments; employing medical technologies; utilizing
physical sensors; utilizing other measurement procedures). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
b. |
Institutions
whose employees or agents intervene with living individuals by
manipulating the environment for research purposes (e.g., controlling
environmental light, sound, or temperature; presenting sensory stimuli;
orchestrating environmental events or social interactions; making voice,
digital, or image recordings). |
|
|
c. |
Institutions
whose employees or agents interact with living individuals for research
purposes (e.g., engaging in protocol-dictated communication or
interpersonal contact; conducting research interviews; obtaining informed
consent). |
|
|
d. |
Institutions whose employees or agents release individually identifiable private information, or permit investigators to obtain individually identifiable private information, without subjects' explicit written permission (e.g., releasing patient names to investigators for solicitation as research subjects; permitting investigators to record private information from medical records in individually identifiable form). |
|
|
e. |
Institutions
whose employees or agents obtain, receive, or possess private information
that is individually identifiable (either directly or indirectly through
coding systems) for research purposes (e.g., obtaining private information
from medical records in an individually identifiable form). |
|
|
f. |
Institutions whose employees or agents obtain, receive, or possess private information that is individually identifiable (either directly or indirectly through coding systems) for the purpose of maintaining "statistical centers" for multi-site collaborative research. Where institutional activities involve no interaction or intervention with subjects, and the principal risk associated with institutional activities is limited to the potential harm resulting from breach of confidentiality, the Institutional Review Board (HRAC) need not review each collaborative protocol. However, the HRAC should determine and document that the statistical center has sufficient mechanisms in place to ensure that (i) the privacy of subjects and the confidentiality of data are adequately maintained, given the sensitivity of the data involved; (ii) each collaborating institution holds an applicable OPRR-approved Assurance; (iii) each protocol is reviewed and approved by the HRAC at the collaborating institution prior to the enrollment of subjects; and (iv) informed consent is obtained from each subject in compliance with HHS regulations. |
|
|
g. |
Institutions whose employees or agents maintain "operations centers" or "coordinating centers" for multi-site collaborative research. Where institutional activities involve no interaction or intervention with subjects, the HRAC need not review each collaborative protocol. However, the HRAC should determine and document that the operations or coordinating center has sufficient mechanisms in place to ensure that (i) management, data analysis, and Data Safety and Monitoring (DSM) systems are adequate, given the nature of the research involved; (ii) sample protocols and informed consent documents are developed and distributed to each collaborating institution; (iii) each collaborating institution holds an applicable OPRR-approved Assurance; (iv) each protocol is reviewed and approved by the HRAC at the collaborating institution prior to the enrollment of subjects; (v) any substantive modification by the collaborating institution of sample consent information related to risks or alternative procedures is appropriately justified; and (vi) informed consent is obtained from each subject in compliance with HHS regulations. |
|
|
h. |
Institutions receiving a direct HHS award to conduct human subjects research, even where all activities involving human subjects are carried out by a subcontractor or collaborator (e.g., a small business receives a HHS award to design a medical device at its own facility and contract with a medical clinic to test the device with human subjects; a foundation receives a HHS award on behalf of an affiliated institution that will actually conduct the human subjects research). |
|
2. |
Institutions would not be considered "engaged" in human subjects research (and would not need an Assurance) if their involvement is limited to the following: |
|
|
a. |
Institutions whose employees or agents act as consultants on research but at no time obtain, receive, or possess identifiable private information (e.g., a consultant analyzes data that cannot be linked to individual subjects, either directly or indirectly through coding systems, by any member of the research team). |
|
|
|
i. |
Should a consultant access or utilize individually identifiable private information while visiting the research team's institution, the consultant's activities become subject to the oversight of the research team's Human Research Advisory Committee (HRAC). However, the consultant's institution is not considered to be "engaged" in the research and would not need an Assurance. |
|
|
|
ii. |
Should a consultant
obtain "coded" data for analysis at the consultant's institution, the
consultant's institution is considered "engaged" in human subjects
research, and would need an Assurance, unless a written agreement
unequivocally prohibits release of identifying codes to the consultant. |
|
|
b. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents (i) perform commercial services for the investigators
(or perform other genuinely non-collaborative services meriting neither
professional recognition nor publication privileges), and (ii) adhere to
commonly recognized professional standards for maintaining privacy and
confidentiality (e.g., an appropriately qualified laboratory performs
analyses of blood samples for investigators solely on a commercial
basis). | |
|
|
c. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents (i) inform prospective subjects about the availability
of research; (ii) provide prospective subjects with written information
about research (which may include a copy of the relevant informed consent
document and other HRAC-approved materials) but do not obtain subjects'
consent or act as authoritative representatives of the investigators;
(iii) provide prospective subjects with information about contacting
investigators for information or enrollment; or (iv) obtain and
appropriately document prospective subjects' permission for investigators
to contact them (e.g., a clinician provides patients with literature about
a research study, including a copy of the informed consent document, and
tells them how to contact the investigator if they want to enroll; a
clinician provides investigators with contact information about potential
subjects after receiving explicit permission from each potential
subject). | |
|
|
d. |
Institutions (e.g.,
schools, nursing homes, businesses) that permit use of their facilities
for intervention or interaction with subjects by research investigators
(e.g., a school permits investigators to test students whose parents have
provided written permission for their participation; a business permits
investigators to solicit research volunteers at the worksite). | |
|
|
e. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents release identifiable private information to
investigators with the prior written permission of the subject (e.g., with
written permission of the subject, a clinician releases the subject's
medical record to investigators). | |
|
|
f. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents release identifiable private information or specimens
to a State or Local Health Department or its agent for legitimate public
health purposes within the recognized authority of that Department.
However, utilization of such information or specimens by Department
investigators for research purposes would constitute engagement in
research, and would require an Assurance from the Department. | |
|
|
g. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents release information and/or specimens to investigators
in non-identifiable (i.e., non-linkable) form, where such
information/specimens have been obtained by the institution for purposes
other than the investigators' research (e.g., nursing home employees
provide investigators with a data set containing medical record
information, but the data set contains no direct or indirect identifiers
through which the identity of individual subjects could be ascertained,
either by the investigators or by nursing home personnel; a hospital
pathology department releases excess tissue specimens and relevant medical
record information to investigators, but these materials include no direct
or indirect identifiers through which the identity of individual subjects
could be ascertained, either by investigators or by hospital personnel,
including the pathology department; consistent with applicable law or
recognized authority, local hospitals or health departments permit State
or Local Health Department investigators to access information for
research purposes, but the investigators record no direct or indirect
identifiers through which the identity of individual subjects could be
ascertained, either by the investigators or by local hospital or health
department personnel.) | |
|
|
h. |
Institutions whose
employees or agents receive information or specimens for research from
established repositories operating in accordance with (i) an
applicable OPRR-approved Assurance; (ii) OPRR guidance; and (iii) written agreements
unequivocally prohibiting of release of identifying information to
recipient investigators. | |
|
|
i. |
Institutions (or private
practitioners) whose clinical staff provide protocol-related care and/or
follow-up to subjects enrolled at distant sites by clinical trial
investigators in OPRR-recognized Cooperative Protocol Research Programs
(CPRPs). In such cases, (i) the CPRP clinical trial investigator
(consistent with a registered investigator as defined in Section 14.1 of
the NCI Investigator's Handbook) retains responsibility for oversight of
protocol related activities; (ii) clinical staff may not accrue subjects
or obtain informed consent for research participation; (iii) clinical
staff may only provide data to the investigator in accord with the terms
of informed consent; and (iv) the informed consent document should state
that such data are to be provided by clinical staff as directed by the
investigator. | |
Assurance Coordinators within
the Division of Human Subject Protections (DHSP) retain the authority to
determine whether institutions are "engaged" in human subjects research
consistent with the above guidelines. The DHSP Director and the Assurance Branch
Chief should be consulted should Coordinators require assistance in applying
these guidelines to specific situations.
Departments and agencies other than
DHHs follow different procedures for reviewing and approving research with
foreign components. HRACs should
consult the agency for international
development:
|
James D. Shelton, M.D. |
Carter Diggs, M.D.,
Ph.D. |