Confidence of IRB/REC Members in Their Assessments of Human Research Risk: A Study of IRB/REC Decision Making in Action

Social Sciences

• institutional review 87%
• ethics committee 83%
• research ethics 78%
• confidence 52%
• decision making 44%
• uncertainty 17%
• environmental ethics 16%
• Precautionary principle 15%
• risk assessment 11%
• time 4%

Medicine & Life Sciences

• Committee Membership 100%
• Research Ethics Committees 73%
• Decision Making 57%
• Uncertainty 12%
• Risk Assessment 11%
• Research Ethics 9%
• Ethics 7%

Engineering & Materials Science

• Ethical aspects 90%
• Decision making 50%
• Uncertainty 12%
• Risk assessment 9%