Cassidy V R, Oddi L F
Nursingconnections. 1993 Spring;6(1):31-8.
The nature and extent of nurses' participation on hospital institutional review boards (IRBs) has not previously been investigated. This descriptive study provides some insights into the characteristics of nurses serving on IRBs and describes the IRBs on which they serve. The nurses are typically master's-prepared nurse managers who have served as volunteer or appointed members of the IRB for an average of 2.67 years. The IRBs have an interdisciplinary membership, and differ widely in structure and procedure, but generally, they conform to the requirements specified in the National Research Act for IRBs. The findings of this study have implications for nursing administration, practice, research, and education.
