IRB Challenges in Community-Based Participatory Research on Human Exposure to Environmental Toxics
IRB Challenges in Community-Based Participatory Research on Human Exposure to Environmental Toxics
A Case Study
This chapter outlines the challenges of obtaining institutional review board (IRB) coverage for community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects. Community-based participatory research focuses on problems that affect whole communities and thus is different from most biomedical research, which takes the individual as its primary subject. In CBPR projects, researchers work closely with community members and community-based organizations to develop appropriate research agendas, conduct analyses, and disseminate results and information. In general, IRBs are unfamiliar with this approach to research, reluctant to take responsibility for the actions of community partner organizations, and resistant to interaction between researchers and participants. Their hesitation causes significant delays and may prevent effective research and dissemination of results. The chapter then suggests concrete ways in which IRBs and funders can develop clear review guidelines that respect the unique qualities of CBPR.
Keywords: institutional review board, community-based research, participatory research, biomedical research, community-based organizations
California Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
