What is a primary purpose of an independent IRB review in research with human subjects?

• A. Protect Participants and Ensure Ethical Conduct
• B. Expedite Approval Processes
• C. Replace Informed Consent Requirements
• D. Ignore Conflicts of Interest

Answer: (A)

Independent IRB review is about safeguarding people in research and ensuring ethical standards guide every step of a study. By scrutinizing the protocol, the committee weighs risks and potential benefits, ensures informed consent is appropriate and documented, and checks that privacy and data protections are in place. This oversight also helps protect vulnerable populations and provides ongoing monitoring to respond to any new risks. Expediting approval isn’t the main goal, and IRBs don’t replace informed consent or rely on ignoring conflicts of interest; rather, they ensure these elements are properly addressed to protect participants and uphold ethical conduct.