The Bicol Consortium for Health Research and Development (BCHRD) conducted an Ethics Training on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at Bicol University College of Nursing, Hospital Room on June 18-19, 2013. The General Objective of this training is to develop the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) for quality assurance. Specifically, it aimed to: 1)Discuss the rationale for the development of SOPs; 2) Identify specific activities of the ERC that need SOPs; 3) Identify the individuals/officials/members that participate in each of these activities; 4) State the rationale and objective of each SOP; 5) Develop the flow chart of each activity, and; 6) Use the PHREB template in the documentation of each SOP.
The Resource Speakers for the said event were two members of the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) Marita V.T. Reyes, M.D., Chair of the National Ethics Committee and Co-Chair), and Cecilia V. Tomas M.D., who was a resource Speaker during the BCHRD Basic Training on Health Ethics in 2012, is Chair of its Subcommittee on Standards and Accreditation.
The event was attended by the same participants who had undergone the BCHRD Basic Training on Health Research Ethics in 2012, who were from the different member agencies of BCRHD. They Marlyn A. Daguno, Dr. Salvacion S. Macinas, Dr. Gabriel R. Peñas and Ramil O. Juloc from Bicol Regional Traning and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH), Alvin C. Ogalesco from Catanduanes State University (CSU), Fr. Tirso P. Elopre and Dr. Heriberto B. Fornoles from Bicol Medical Center (BMC), Pilita O. Lucena from Department of Science and Technology (DOST V), Ida Francia H. Revale, Jean Annette S. Ibo, Charmaine A. Malonzo, and Richard L. Bartolata from Bicol University (BU), Sandy C. Lasa, Virginia C. Reyes, and Nenette L. Abrigo from Universidad De Sta Isabel, Dr. Aurora Teresa M. Daluro from Department of Health (DOH), Alma S. Banua (BCHRD Director), Marie Jeanne Berroya, PCHRD-DOST (Regional Project Officer for Region V) and Ruben C. Alcazar Jr. (PHREB Secretariat), and the BCHRD secretariat composed of Ms. Maria Vicenta Corazon B. Guidote, Joemar N. Asiado and Daphne E. Orr.
The 2-day training consisted on lectures and workshops. Among the topics discussed were: The PHREB Accreditation Program and Policies, Review of ERC Functions & Overview of SOP Sections, Revisiting the Review, After Review Processes, Documentation and Archiving, and Issues and Challenges. The workshops consisted of the drafting of SOPs for the different regular activities undertaken by an ethics board.
The training ended with a determined note on the part of the participants to finalize the requirements needed to establish Ethics Review Committees in their own institutions. For their part, the resource speakers promised to go over the various SOPs submitted during the workshop and to be returned back to the participants.
