Ethics committee response

Social Work Faculty of Med Nursing & Health Sciences Caulfield 26 May 2008
Miscarriage: Women's experiences of treatment in a
hospital setting

Dear Researchers,

I am writing to let you know that the
SCERH considered
your application at meeting. To enable the Committee to
satisfy itself that the research conforms to the National Statement on Ethical
Conduct of Research Involving Humans, the following issues and questions need
further clarification:

1. With regard to your responses to Q6.4, Q6.5 and Q6.6,
please explain why there is a small chance that you may be required to break
confidentiality if there is disclosure by the patient of a certain nature. It is
not clear how, or why, such information is likely to be proffered in the context
of this research – please describe.

2. Please note that letters of permission
from relevant organisations must be forwarded to SCERH before research commences
at that organisation. Please confirm that these will be sent.

3. Please delete
the words “I’ve moved up in the world” from your Explanatory Statement. Also,
please enlarge on the type of information “not directly related to the research”
that you allude to in the Explanatory Statement. Please forward the amended
Explanatory Statement to SCERH for approval.

This is the email I got today. Apparently this is a fantastic response as the things I need to change are only very minor. I would like to however, draw your attention to no.3 and the sentence "please delete the words "I've moved up on the world" from your Explanatory Statement". That had my scratching my head!! So I got out the explanatory statement and found this...

My name is A and I am conducting a research project under the supervision of C
F, a Lecturer (I’ve moved up in the world!) in the Department of Social Work
towards a BA/BSW(Honours) at...

Originally I had her as tutor - and she has come in and corrected it herself - and both she and I missed that!! I couldn't stop laughing when I realised that I had sent a 50 page application - all very carefully worded and triple checked and left a great big glaring mistake like that, especially something so hilarious as well! How funny, I bet the ethics committee got a real laugh out of it too! Anyway, back off to put finishing touches on essay. Looks like within the next month I'll be starting my recruitment process. Very exciting!