Nowadays, the submission of a research project to an ethical committee and its approval is mandatory. However, researchers often overlook this obligation, because they are too engaged in the design and the process of construction of the study, because of the common tight deadlines, and many times because some devaluation of the role of the committee. Based on our experience of 10 years working in an ethical committee, we propose a way to get close researchers and evaluators, respecting their own aims but bringing them together as partners in the investigation process, protecting patients’ values, at the same time that makes it possible to implement strategies to answer to the research question and to create useful knowledge. Our aim is to smoothen the way researchers look to the ethical committee and, at the same time, to make them understand what really is at stake. Ethics should be a commitment for all and not an obligation.
Part of the book: Bioethics in Medicine and Society