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Electronic Letters to:
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eLetters: Electronic letters published:
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![[Read eLetter]](/icons/misc/sectionDOWN.gif)
Was local IRB Approval Obtained for the Study by Kerrigan et al (2006)
- Adamson S. Muula (24 April 2006)
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Adamson S. Muula, Lecturer Department of Community Health, University of Malawi, College of Medicine
Send letter to journal:
muula{at}email.unc.edu Adamson S. Muula
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The article by Kerrigan et al (1) certainly adds to the literature on HIV prevention and control and is an innovative way of estimating behavioral changes after an intervention. The use of interviewers as potential sex workers' clients would certainly mimimise information bias as opposed to the situation where the interwier is appropriately identified as such. Although the authors suggest that " other researchers interested in adopting this methodology refer to the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Subjects and consult with a bioethicist, asc we did.." it does not seem to me that the expected ethical approvals were obtained nonetheless. The authors had clearance of their methodology by the local sex workers' organisation, MODEMU (Movimiento de Mujeres Unidas) and IRB approval from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Population Council but give no indication of local IRB approval. Did the approval by the local MODEMU stand for local IRB approval? It would be helpful to reader if the authors were to respond to this lack of or a special case of local IRB approval. The reader may also be interested to learn what safeguards were in place to ensure that the interviewers themselves did nit end up being 'real' clients of the sex workers. 1. Kerrigan D et al. Environmental-Structural Interventions to Reduce HIV/STI among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic. Am J Public Health. 2006;96: 120-125 |
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