Advocating the importance of ethics in the field of health research does not stop despite health crisis. Rather, more health research have to be promoted because health research involves finding the solution to every health problem, taking into consideration the protection of human participants involved.
Hence, the Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium (R1HRDC) - Research Ethics Committee (ERC) conducted 2 (two) trainings related to ethics with the help of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board – Committee on Information, Dissemination, Training and Advocacy.
The first is the PHILIPPINE HEALTH RESEARCH ETHICS PORTAL (PHREP) TRAINING on September 3, 2020. The PHREP is a web-based system designed to automate the review process of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) and serves as a national repository for ethically-reviewed health researches in the Philippines. It was participated in by 19 REC members from the 8 different institutions in the region.
Another training is the BASIC RESEARCH ETHICS TRAINING on November 16-17, 2020 which aimed to: promote dialogue and provide guidance regarding ethical dimensions of research; make participants be aware of the basic ethical principles; clarify the rights and obligations of stakeholders; value international, national and institutional controls; recognize, avoid and correct common ethical issues; motivate participants towards advocating ethical researches; and achieve PHREB accreditation of RECs. It was participated in by 30 REC members from the 10 different academic and healthcare institutions.
Both trainings were conducted online to conform with the essential precautionary measures set forth by the government in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
