Governance
Every study involving patients or patient information is reviewed and approved before it begins, and is subject to continuing review. The Research Oversight Committee of the Board holds this responsibility separately from the clinical leadership that governs care standards.
Participation is voluntary and separate
Eligibility for a study is determined by the research team, never by a treating clinician's discretion. Declining to participate, or withdrawing after agreeing, has no effect on care in any respect, and this separation is stated to patients at the point of invitation rather than in a document.
Information and consent
Consent describes what the study asks, what it does with information, what it cannot promise and how to withdraw. Where a study cannot answer a question a participant is likely to have, the consent conversation says so.
Reporting
Institutional research is reported through the AREOLA archive and the annual Research Report.