Clinical Trials Center, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Clinical Trials Center, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
BMJ Glob Health. 2023 Sep;8(9). doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-012754.
All economic sectors including the service sector, along with healthcare, education and research, need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to limit global temperature increases. In this study, we aim to globally assess the awareness and current actions taken by Academic Research Institutions (ARIs) or governments regarding the reduction of carbon dioxide equivalent (COe) emissions for clinical research.
We designed a cross-sectional survey-based study, which was distributed within the International Clinical Trials Center Network (ICN). The survey population comprised representatives of the ICN who had extensive experience in academic clinical research and profound knowledge and understanding of the local context.
The response rate was 80%. Responding ARIs were from 15 different countries and 4 continents. Around half of the ARIs reported that almost none of their research projects considered reducing their carbon footprint. The other half of the ARIs were not familiar with this subject at all. According to 60% of the respondents, greenhouse gas emissions are not assessed by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)/Ethics Committees (ECs) or competent authorities, while 40% did not know. Neither IRBs/ECs nor competent authorities currently advise sponsors and investigators on reducing the carbon footprint of their clinical research projects. As for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in clinical research, virtual conferences and meetings were the most commonly implemented measures by ARIs across all regions. Finally, we have put together an action plan/checklist advising researchers on carbon footprint reduction for clinical trials.
Currently, greenhouse gas emissions are neglected during the planning phase of a research project, and they are not yet addressed or assessed by default during the approval procedures by IRBs/ECs or competent authorities. Thus, all involved stakeholders within clinical research need to be made aware of it through advice from ARIs and IRBs/ECs, among others.
所有经济部门，包括服务业，以及医疗保健、教育和研究，都需要减少温室气体排放，以限制全球气温上升。在这项研究中，我们旨在全球评估学术研究机构（ARI）或政府对减少临床研究二氧化碳当量（COe）排放的意识和当前采取的行动。
我们设计了一项基于横断面调查的研究，该研究在国际临床试验中心网络（ICN）内进行。调查对象包括在学术临床研究方面经验丰富、对当地情况有深刻了解和认识的 ICN 代表。
回复率为 80%。参与的 ARI 来自 15 个不同的国家和 4 个大洲。大约一半的 ARI 报告说，他们几乎没有考虑过减少其碳足迹的研究项目。另一半的 ARI 对此完全不熟悉。根据 60%的受访者的说法，机构审查委员会（IRB）/伦理委员会（EC）或主管当局并不评估温室气体排放，而 40%的受访者则不知道。IRB/EC 或主管当局目前也没有就减少临床研究项目的碳足迹向赞助商和研究者提供建议。至于减少临床研究中的温室气体排放，虚拟会议和会议是所有地区的 ARI 最常采取的措施。最后，我们制定了一个行动计划/清单，为研究人员提供有关临床试验碳足迹减少的建议。
目前，在研究项目的规划阶段忽视了温室气体排放，而且在 IRB/EC 或主管当局的批准程序中默认也没有考虑或评估它们。因此，临床研究的所有相关利益相关者都需要通过 ARI 和 IRB/EC 等提供的建议来了解这一点。
Zotero 插件
