Investigation of ethics approval as part of a research integrity assessment of randomised controlled trials in COVID-19 evidence syntheses: a meta-epidemiological study

• Published in: BMJ open Vol. 15; no. 3; p. e092244
• Main Authors: Weber, Florencia, Pscheidl, Tamara, Sydenham, Emma, Meybohm, Patrick, Weibel, Stephanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England British Medical Journal Publishing Group 24.03.2025; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Committees; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Ethics; Ethics Committees, Research; Human subjects; Humans; Informed Consent - ethics; MEDICAL ETHICS; Original Research; Preprints; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic - ethics; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic - standards; Registration; Research ethics; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; STATISTICS & RESEARCH METHODS; Systematic Review; STATISTICS & RESEARCH METHODS; MEDICAL ETHICS; Systematic Review

ObjectivesEthical compliance of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) documented as ethics committee (EC) approval is vital for participant protection but is often overlooked by evidence synthesis producers despite regulatory mandates. We aimed to systematically assess reporting of ethics approval and...