Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research

The Partners Human Research Committee
(Institutional Review Board)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital is the Partners Human Research Committee (PHRC). The PHRC shall provide ethical and scientific review and continuing oversight of human subject research in order that the rights and welfare of the participants in research are protected. In so doing, the PHRC shall be committed to following the letter and spirit of human subject protection regulations and guidance to insure the integrity of the PHRC decision making process. All human-subject research related activities fall within PHRC jurisdiction as specified by both the federal regulations and local institutional policy.

Human-subject research is a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge where an investigator obtains data on individuals either through direct intervention/interaction or through the use of identifiable private information (medical records). Research limited to the use of non-identifiable patient information may qualify for exemption from full IRB review, however all exemptions must be determined or granted by the PHRC. There are a number of different levels of review, each dependent upon the level of risk involved in a study. Human-subjects research must be approved to be conducted by a Partners-affiliated investigator.

As of March 2009, all submissions to the PHRC are submitted through eIRB, a part of the Insight Human Module. This is a form wizard that creates required forms, creates lists of study staff and allows for attachment of the protocol summary and detailed protocols for IRB review. Before submission, the protocol summary must be reviewed in the Munn Center for Nursing Research. Submit to dcarroll3@partners.org. For further information on eIRB go to: http://healthcare.partners.org/phsirb/Insight_eIRB.htm/.

For definitions and guidance, including contact information, please see the PHRC website: http://healthcare.partners.org/phsirb/