Behind the scenes of research ethics committee oversight: a qualitative research study with committee chairs in the Middle East and North Africa region

Abstract Background: Research cites shortcomings and challenges facing research ethics committees in many regions across the world including Arab countries. This paper presents findings from qualitative in-depth interviews with REC chairs to explore their views on the challenges they face in their work with the oversight of research involving human populations. Methods: Virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with chairs (n=11) from both biomedical and/or social-behavioral research ethics committees in six countries, transcribed, coded and subject to thematic analyses for recurring themes. Results: Two sets of recurring themes impede the work of the committees and pose concerns for the quality of the research applications: (1) procedures and committee level challenges such as heavy workload, variations in member qualification, impeding bureaucratic procedures, member overwork, and intersecting socio-cultural values in the review process; (2) inconsistencies in the researchers’ competence in applied research ethics revealed by the applications reviewed which is also informative about their methodological and research ethics competence. Conclusions: Narratives of REC chairs are important to shed light on experiences and issues that are not captured in surveys, adding to the body of knowledge with implications for the region, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in other parts of the world, and implications for international research collaborations.