Research Ethics Review (ethical clearance) is an instrument for measuring the ethical acceptability of a series of research processes (LIPI, 2019). Reviewing research ethics, especially in the health sector, is an effort to maintain the quality of research, especially in the health sector. This is done as an assessment of the feasibility of the research plan so that the research process to be carried out by a person or profession can run correctly.
Considering the importance of ethical review in research, the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a Refresher Basic Health Ethics Training activity. Held online on 26 – 27 March 2024, this activity was attended by department teaching staff/lecturers within FPH UI.
“Considering the importance of this activity for the ethical review process at FPH UI which currently still has obstacles in the process due to the lack of lecturers who have ethics certification, I hope that this activity can provide maximum benefits for all lecturers who take part in this training. “So, it is hoped that in the future the number of lecturers who are ethically certified will increase,” said the Dean of FPH UI, Prof. Mondastri Korib Sudaryo in his speech.
At this training, FPH UI Professors who were members of the FPH UI Ethics Committee were present as resource persons, namely Prof. Ratna Djuwita, Prof. Sudijanto Kamso, Prof. L. Meily Kurniawidjaja, and Prof. Purnawan Djunadi. Various material presented included an introduction to (scientific Research and Development Ethics Committee (KEPPKN) and the Health Research Ethics Commission (KEPK), basic principles of health research ethics, responsibility and integrity of researchers, consideration of risks and benefits, clinical and biomedical research, design (scientific validity), epidemiological and socio-cultural research, fairly selected subjects, the role of the community, collaborative research, post-approval, monitoring and evaluation, research protocols, and KEPK secretariat.
“Research must be carried out independently, openly, and honestly. “The basic principles in research ethics are beneficence or having more benefits, non-maleficence or not causing risk/loss, autonomy or respect for person, and justice or having fairness,” explained Prof. Meily.
Apart from presenting material from resource persons, there was also a discussion session where participants and resource persons discussed various obstacles and best practices in implementing the ethical review process. (wrk)