Development of Guidelines for the Conduct of HIV Research Monitoring by Ethics Committees in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigerian research ethics committees are charged with the responsibility to monitor ongoing research to  ensure compliance with ethical standards. Recent evidence from qualitative studies on research conduct however, indicate that many research studies fail to implement their protocols as written, and that this is not  reported due to a failure of comprehensive monitoring. As Nigeria is in many respects a highly suitable country  in which to conduct HIV biomedical prevention research, we argue there is a need to reprioritise the  strengthening of the monitoring capacity of ethics committees so that such vital and ethically complex  research can be conducted with confidence. We identify the need for (i) improved resourcing and training of  ethics committee members, and (ii) comprehensive planning of research monitoring as part of the ethics  committee protocol review process. We also highlight the significance of community collaboration and the establishment of a central pool of national monitors, as essential components for reinvigorating monitoring capacity. (Afr J Reprod Health 2014; 18[3]: 66-73)

Keywords: Ethics, monitoring, HIV prevention, compliance