Frew Deborah, Martlew Ainsley
Health Research and Ethics Branch, New South Wales Health.
Monash Bioeth Rev. 2007 Jan-Apr;26(1-2):17-23. doi: 10.1007/BF03351463.
For many years there has been discussion regarding the problems confronting our current ethics review system. Commentators have identified numerous issues that threaten the sustainability of Australia's voluntary HREC system. Various ad hoc solutions to these problems have been posed, but have not resulted in any significant advances. However, in recent years, discourse regarding research governance has become prominent in the Australian research environment. The application of research governance principles is gaining momentum amongst the regulators of research, including research institutions and their governing bureaucracies. We argue that this is potentially the most significant development in several years towards creating a sustainable HREC system in Australia. The recognition by research institutions and their governing bureaucracies that the responsibility for overall research governance lies with them, rather than solely with their HRECs, is leading to a range of initiatives which should significantly lessen the burden on Australian ethics committees, and improve their ability to undertake their core task of reviewing the ethical aspects of research proposals.
多年来，一直存在关于我们当前伦理审查系统所面临问题的讨论。评论者们已经指出了许多威胁澳大利亚自愿性人类研究伦理委员会（HREC）系统可持续性的问题。针对这些问题提出了各种临时解决方案，但并未取得任何显著进展。然而，近年来，关于研究治理的讨论在澳大利亚研究环境中变得突出。研究治理原则的应用在研究监管者中，包括研究机构及其管理官僚机构，正获得势头。我们认为，这可能是近年来在澳大利亚创建可持续HREC系统方面最重要的进展。研究机构及其管理官僚机构认识到全面研究治理的责任在于它们，而不仅仅在于其HREC，这正引发一系列举措，这些举措应能显著减轻澳大利亚伦理委员会的负担，并提高其审查研究提案伦理方面核心任务的能力。
