The Ethical Approval Process Arts

1
The Ethical Approval ProcessArts Health
research in the South West

• Alex Coulter
• Arts Coordinator at Dorset County Hospital and
  freelance Arts Health consultant

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NRES

• NRES National Research Ethics Service launched
  1st April 2007
• It is a service that will provide robust ethical
  review to protect the safety, dignity and well
  being of research participants
• Research within the NHS requires ethical
  approval, Clinical Audit and Service Evaluation
  do not.
• You apply to your local Research Ethics committee
  and all information is available on
  www.nres.npsa.nhs.uk. 

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Research as defined by NRES

• The primary aim of research is to derive new
  knowledge
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Addresses clearly defined questions, aims and
  objectives
• Usually involves collecting data that are
  additional to those for routine care
• If randomisation is used it is research

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Service Evaluation as defined by NRES

• Designed and conducted solely to define or judge
  current care
• Designed to answer the question What standard
  does this service achieve?
• Measures current service without reference to a
  standard
• Involves an intervention in use ONLY
• Usually involves analysis of existing data but
  may include administration of simple interview or
  questionnaire
• No allocation to intervention groups, the
  professional and patient have chosen intervention
  before service evaluation

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Definition of Evaluation within Social Research

• Evaluation is a methodological area that is
  closely related to, but distinguishable from more
  traditional social research. Evaluation utilises
  many of the same methodologies used in
  traditional social research, but because
  evaluation takes place within a political and
  organisational context, it requires group skills,
  management ability, political dexterity,
  sensitivity to multiple stakeholders and other
  skills that social research in general does not
  rely on as much.
• www.socialresearchmethods.net

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Ethical issues

• The Research Ethics Service exists to protect
  participants and is concerned with risk
  particularly in the case of vulnerable
  participants
• The purpose of the ethical approval process is to
  ensure work is conducted to high ethical
  standards
• Participants need to be given the opportunity to
  take part or not with no sense of pressure or
  anxiety that refusal will affect their care
• The stipulation that researchers seek consent
  after providing appropriate information is a
  central theme in modern research ethics

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What to do

• If in doubt seek advice on whether your project
  requires ethical approval from
• Healthcare professionals involved in your project
  
• Research Development department in a Hospital
• Local Research Ethics Committee coordinator or
  Chair
• NRES queries_at_nationalres.org.uk

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Next Steps

• Go to the NRES website to access the application
  form and guidelines
• Complete the application form and prepare all
  paperwork
• Book your application with the local Research
  Ethics Committee
• Send your application to them within 4 days

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60 day clock

• Once application is received the 60 day clock
  starts
• REC coordinator validates application
• If validated the Chief Investigator will be
  invited to a meeting
• The application is reviewed by the REC
• You are given a provisional opinion (clock stops)
• You may have to make some alterations which are
  then reviewed (clock starts)
• Favourable or unfavourable opinion (within 60
  days)

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Evaluation of Arts Health work in the South
West

• In the follow up to Shared Territories Ruth
  Hecht collected information on Arts Health
  Research Evaluation in the South West on behalf
  of the Arts Council
• The aim was to provide a resource for
  professionals and support for the Arts Councils
  advocacy work
• Eight research/evaluation projects were selected
• The summaries of these are available on the AHSW
  website under Resources gt Organisational
  Development Training gt Monitoring Evaluation

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Evaluation of Arts Health work in the South
West

• My Time My Space arts activities with women
  suffering from post-natal depression (Bath
  North East Somerset)
• Paint Yourself Better arts activities for
  patients at a doctors surgery (Gloucestershire)
• Project Jump sexual health project for hard to
  reach young people (Bristol)
• Soundwell Music Therapy Trust group music
  therapy with people with severe mental health
  needs living in the community (Wiltshire and Bath
  North East Somerset)

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Evaluation of Arts Health work in the South
West

• The Arts for Health project the use of
  performance arts in dementia (Cornwall)
• The Wise Project peer led sexual health drama
  project with young people (Devon and Somerset)
• Upstream Healthy Living Centre arts activities
  with socially isolated people over 50 (Devon)
• My MSc What is the effect of the hospital
  environment on perceptions of the organisation?
  (Dorset)

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Evaluation of Arts Health work in the South
West

• Upstream Healthy Living Centre arts activities
  with socially isolated people over 50
• My MSc What is the effect of the hospital
  environment on perceptions of the organisation?

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Workshop options

• Jayne Howard, Director of Arts for Health,
  Cornwall Isles of Scilly
• Arts in Primary Care
• Aims to develop new approaches to integrated arts
  in primary health care with 6 GP practices as
  pilots
• Evaluation will be both qualitative and
  quantitative

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Workshop options

• 2. Stephen Pettet-Smith, Head of Exeter Health
  Care Arts
• Research looking at the ward environment
• Partnership with Peninsula Medical School, School
  of Complimentary Medicine
• Questionnaire based over a year long period with
  850 responses

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Workshop options

• 3. Jane Willis, Director, Willis Newson Arts
  Consultants
• Evaluation of GRASP, Gloucestershire Royal
  Hospitals artists-in-schools programme
• Questionnaires completed by children, teachers
  and staff
• Separate evaluation by an artist