A new CTTI publication, published in the Journal of Ethics and Human Research, explores stakeholder reflections on implementing the National Institutes of Health’s policy on single Institutional Review Boards (sIRB). CTTI interviewed 34 stakeholders with various roles in the single IRB process to gather perspectives about their experiences implementing the sIRB model, focusing specifically on the six goals of the NIH sIRB policy. Some stakeholders suggested that using the sIRB model has streamlined and reduced inefficiencies associated with local IRB model. However, new inefficiencies were created due to unclear roles, lack of systems and processes, and increased workloads for some stakeholders. 

These stakeholder responses suggest that standardizing the sIRB process and implementing new systems that support the NIH’s goal for enhancing and streamlining the IRB process are needed. For example, standardizing the roles and responsibilities of reviewing IRBs and relying institutions, improving the compatibility of IRB software, and having a central repository for institutional information may improve the efficiency of the sIRB process. CTTI utilized the findings of these interviews to inform an sIRB evaluation framework.