Royal Perth Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee

Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC) review research proposals involving human participants to ensure that they are ethically acceptable and in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (updated 2018) (external link). HRECs also monitor the conduct of research projects until completion to ensure they conform to ethical requirements.

All human research conducted within East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) must undergo ethical and scientific review, approval and monitoring by either a WA Health HREC or a National Health and Medical Research Council certified HREC (under the National Mutual Acceptance (NMA) scheme).

The EMHS has one HREC – the Royal Perth Hospital HREC, but also accepts the ethical review of other WA Health HRECs under the WA Health Single Ethical Review process or the NMA scheme. If your project already has approval from a WA Health HREC you do not need to submit the project to the RPH HREC. You will still need to submit a Site Specific Assessment (SSA) Form for EMHS site governance review.

When planning a new research project, it is highly advisable to speak to the EMHS Ethics Coordinator or Administrative Officer to confirm the submission requirements for your project. Designing your project to be consistent with the ethical principles enshrined in the National Health and Medical Research Council's National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (updated 2018) (external link) is as fundamental to good research practice as having a high quality protocol, testable hypotheses or a solid statistical analysis plan. If you have any questions about the ethics of your proposed project, you should consult the EMHS Ethics Coordinator as early as possible during project development.

General queries can be made via EMHS.REG@health.wa.gov.au.

All applications to the Royal Perth Hospital HREC are made online via the Research Governance Service and pre-reviewed by the EMHS Ethics Coordinator and feedback provided prior to the HREC meeting. Research ethics reviews are a collaborative process between the researcher and the HREC and the collaboration should begin prior to the formal submission and while the project is being reviewed by the HREC Coordinator.

Low and Negligible Risk Review

EMHS has a non-HREC low and negligible risk (LNR) review panel for the ethical review of research that is of low or negligible risk, as defined by the National Statement.

Note that requirements for submission for LNR review are the same as for HREC review and the Coordinating Principal Investigator (CPI) must make the submission via the Research Governance Service (RGS).

If a CPI nominates their project for LNR review, eligibility must first be confirmed by the EMHS Research.

If eligible for LNR review, the project is reviewed by a panel convened from inducted members who conduct an expedited review via email.

CPIs should contact the EMHS Ethics Coordinator to discuss their project’s risk status at the earliest opportunity.

The operations of the LNR Review Panel are described in the following guide: EMHS Low Negligible Risk Review Guideline.

Last Updated: 03/05/2024