• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.23-29
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• 2022

The goal of the military medicine is not as same as that of the civil medical practice, and consequently the characteristics of military biomedical researches have their own uniqueness. In front of the prerogative of national defense, some of the human rights ordinarily ensured in normal researches with human subjects are not to be fully guaranteed. The hierarchic system of the military would complicate the issue when the soldiers are enrolled as human subject for the research. Some researches could be classified as a military secret, therefore, the confidentiality issues need to be well addressed. Institutional Review Board and review procedure should be modified for the military purposes. So, it is necessary to establish the appropriate regulatory system for the military biomedical researches with human subject to manage the complicated issues involved in them.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.138-143
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• 2012

While Korea does not have any legal statement on surrogacy, treatments are carried out in practice. As a result, every Institutional Review Board (IRB) of each fertility clinic faces an ethical predicament in reviewing each case. There is a need to arrange the institutions' own standards of surrogate pregnancy procedures before the establishment of national or professional regulation. This article examines the legal, social, and medical issues of surrogacy to help IRBs to judge their cases.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.99-131
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• 2011

To strengthen the protection of human research subjects and human materials, the Korean Ministry of Health and welfare proposed the amendment bill of Bioethics and Safety Law(2010) to the Congress. It includes so many meaningful clauses. According to the bill, the scope that this act shall apply will be expended to the research involving human subjects and human materials. In the bill, there are the principles of this act; the protection of the life, health, and dignity of the human subjects, the obtaining of the adequate informed consent, the protection of the human subject's information confidentiality and the human subject's privacy, the assessment and minimizing of the risks involved and the guarantee of the safety for the human subjects, the preparation of the special protection program for the vulnerable human subjects, and so on. According to the bill, Institutional Bioethics Review Board(the same as Institutional Review Board) will be responsible for the auditing and monitoring on the research that was approved by IBRB, conducting the education program for the researchers, IBRB members and administrative staffs, preparing of the special protection program for the vulnerable human subjects, and forming the guidelines for the researchers as well as the review of the research protocols. And the State and local governments shall take necessary measures to support the expending of the social infrastructure. In addition to, IBRB will have to be assessed and to be gained the accreditation by the Korean Ministry of Health and welfare. So, if Bioethics and Safety Law is amended, it will contribute enormously to enhance the level of the human research subjects protection. Also, if this Law is amended, IBRB will play a major role for the conduct of the ethically, scientifically, and legally proper research. But now, as a matter of fact, the capability of IBRB members and IBRB office members is not enough to charge of this role because some people and some organizations does not know the importance of IBRB exactly. In spite of, IBRB shall be able to this role to protect the human subjects and to develop the level of the research On the international level. Therefore, the State, local governments and the Organization shall back up the administrative and financial terms of the IRB and IRB Office.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.36-41
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate how university hospital Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in Korea classify risk when reviewing clinical trial protocols. Methods: IRB experts (IRB chairman, vice chairman, IRB administrator) in the university hospitals obtaining a Human research protection program (HRPP) or IRB accreditation in Korea were asked to fill out the Google Survey from September 1, 2020 to October 10, 2020. Result: Among the 23 responder hospitals, 8 were accredited by the American Association for Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP) and 8 were accredited by the HRPP of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). Seven were accredited by Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia and the Western Pacific or Korea National Institution for Bioethics Policy. Thirteen of 23 hospitals (56.5%) had 4 levels (less than minimal, low, moderate, high risk), 4 hospitals had 3 levels (less than, slightly over, over than minimal risk), 1 hospital had 5 levels (4 levels plus required data safety monitoring board), and 1 hospital had 2 levels (less than, over than minimal risk) risk classification system. Thirteen of 23 hospitals (56.5%) had difficulty classifying the risk levels of research protocols. Fourteen hospitals (60.9%) responded that different standards among hospitals for risk level determination associated with clinical trials will affect the subject protection. Six hospitals (26.1%) responded that it will not. Three hospitals (13.0%) responded that it will affect the beginning of the clinical trial. To resolve differences in standards between hospitals, 14 hospitals (60.9%) responded that either the Korean Association of IRB or MFDS needs to provide a guideline for risk level determination in clinical trials: 5 hospitals (21.7%) responded education for IRB members and researchers is needed; 3 hospitals (13.0%) responded that difference among institutions needs to be acknowledged; and 1 hospital (4.3%) responded that there needs to be communication among IRB, investigator, and sponsor. Conclusion: After conducting a nationwide survey on how IRB in university hospital determines risk during review of clinical trials, it is reasonable to use 4-level risk classification (less than minimal, low, moderate, high risk); the most utilized method among hospitals. Moreover, personal information and conflict of interest associated with clinical trials have to be considered when reviewing clinical trial protocols.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2023

Purspose: The purpose of this study is to examine the meaning and definition of vulnerable subjects in clinical trials in light of domestic and international regulations and guidelines, to analyze the contents of standard operation procedures (SOPs) among advanced general hospitals in Korea that conduct clinical trials, and to examine deliberation procedures for operation plans. Methods: The study examined how vulnerable research subjects were defined and described in related regulations and the classification of vulnerable research subjects presented in the IRB/HRPP SOPs of 18 clinical trial institutions, including 11 AAHRPP-accreditated general hospitals in Korea, as well as the operation of the IRB deliberation. Results: Among all domestic and international regulations and guidelines, only the The Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) guidelines explain why vulnerability is related to judgments on the severity of physical, psychological, and social harm, why individuals are vulnerable, and for what reasons. However, the classification of vulnerable subjects by institutions differed from the classification by the International Conference on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). A total of the 16 institutions classified children and minors as vulnerable research subjects. 14 institutions classified subjects who cannot consent freely were classified as vulnerable subjects. 15 institutions classified sujects who can be affected by the organizational hierarchy were classified as vulnerable subjects. Subjects in emergency situations were regarded as vulnerable research subjects in 8 of institutions, while people in wards, patients with incurable diseases, and the economically poor including the unemployed were categorized as vulnerable research subjects in 7, 4, and 4 of institutions, respectively. Additionally, some research subjects were not classified as vulnerable by ICH-GCP but were classified as vulnerable by domestic institutions 15 of the institutions classified pregnant women and fetuses as vulnerable, 11 classified the elderly as vulnerable, and 6 classified foreigners as vulnerable. Conclution: The regulations and institutional SOPs classify subjects differently, which may affect subject protection. There is a need to improve IRBs' classifications of vulnerable research subjects. It is also necessary to establish the standards according to the differences in deliberation processes. Further, it is recommended to maintain a consistent review of validity, assessment of risk/benefit, and a review using checklists and spokeperson. The review of IRB is to be carried out in a manner that respects human dignity by taking into account the physical, psychological, and social conditions of the subjects.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2009

Children are not small adults and there is a need to carry out specific trials that cannot be performed in adults. In general, children (minors) are unable to consent but their assent should be obtained using age appropriate information. Institutional Review Board (IRB) need paediatric expertise to balance the benefits and risks of research in children. The lack of consent has implications on the design, analysis and the choice of comparators used in the trials, which should only be performed by trained investigators with paediatric experience. Pain, fear, distress and parental separation should be prevented and minimised when unavoidable. The children requires even more careful review. Children represent a vulnerable population with developmental, physiological and psychological differences from adults, which make age- and development- related research important for their benefit. Finally, criteria for the protection of children in clinical trials therefore need to be laid down. Specific protection should be defined for research performed in children, at all stages and ages.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.187-192
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• 2014

Research ethics is the basic attitude for researchers. Thanks to our predecessors we are able to conduct systematic studies. The current trend of results and the amount of study-oriented assessments make the side effect that researchers conduct SCI (Science Citation Index) studies. Since the Declaration of Helsinki, the importance of the right, safety and welfare for human participants have improved. In the present study, I looked into other countries' standpoints concerning the subject of the responsibilities for research ethics and compared them with Korean's standpoint. Recently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare revised the laws for bioethics and safety. In the point of bioethics, I checked out the function, exemption and process of the Institutional Review Board for the future researcher. It is suggested to use the research note to verify a study procedure and protect oneself from research misconducts.

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.127-132
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• 2023

The Incheon Medical Center Institutional Review Board (IRB), a department that reflects the characteristics of Incheon Medical Center, a medical and public institution, was established in 2013. IRB contributes to performing its role as a local accountable care hospital and protecting researchers and subjects by proving the ethics of research conducted at the medical center. So far, IRB has reviewed a total of 80 research proposals for human subject research and human-derived material research, and it currently exists as an independent department directly under the president of the medical center. This paper aims to explain the registration and preservation of IRB-related records, the maintenance of the Records Management Standard Table and related regulations, and archives, as well as to present limitations and improvements in the disclosure, utilization, and classification of records.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.6-22
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• 2020

Purpose: Clinical studies require institutional review board (IRB) approval based on the ethical principle and regulations. While the number of clinical studies has been increased and diversified, duplicated IRB review for multi-center studies has become a major issue. Therefore, single IRB system has been suggested in revised Common Rule. This study aimed to identify and assess the current status of single IRB in Korea and the anticipated needs of single IRB from researchers and IRB member or administrators. Methods: We developed 14 questions including perceived advantages and disadvantages of single IRB, and anticipated problems. The online survey collected opinions on single IRB from researchers, IRB members and IRB administrators. We also interviewed five IRB administrators who have an experience of single IRB. Results: A total of 80 responses were analyzed in this study. Although efficiencies were suggested for the advantages of single IRB in terms of reducing burden of duplicated review, respondents also perceived that the different review criteria between single IRB and each IRB would be a major hurdle for adopting single IRB system. Therefore, the standardization of standard of procedures (SOP) and the standardization of IRB submission materials should be preceded. According to the small group experiences of single IRB in Korea, we also observed the similar anticipated problems of single IRB. Conclusion: Single IRB system has many advantages for conducting multi-center trial. However, many specialists still have a lot of concerns about introducing a single IRB system in Korea. Therefore, a gradual, step-by-step process for conducting a single IRB system in Korea will be needed. Many studies for improving currently suggested single IRB system and the improvement of awareness about the essential of single IRB system would be needed.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.359-360
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• 2001