RD213 - Annual Report on Human Research - State Fiscal Year 2015


Executive Summary:
In SFY 2015, the Department of Social Services' (DSS) human research committee, referred to as the Institutional Review Board (IRB), considered four proposed research projects. Three projects qualified as exempt from IRB review. Based on guidance from the Office of the Attorney General regarding release of confidential client records, the fourth project was not approved by the agency and no further action was taken by the IRB. In addition, one ongoing project was approved for a one-year continuation into SFY 2016. There were no major modifications reported for ongoing studies.

Research involving DSS clients generally involves no risk of physical harm because it is not clinical research but observational studies of human behavior. The potential risk for DSS studies most often involves issues of client privacy and, to a lesser extent, psychological harm (for example, from surveys that include sensitive questions). The IRB has a responsibility to protect client privacy and, more generally, to minimize the risks of research activities to DSS clients.