What is Full Board Category Review?

All other studies that cannot be reviewed and approved at an EXEMPT or EXPEDITED level, must be reviewed by a convened meeting of the North Texas Regional IRB (so-called “Full Board review”). For such reviews, each member of the IRB must have the appropriate amount of time available to review all relevant information needed for an effective review in accordance with federal regulations. Thus, a Full Board review requires additional time and resources for review.

A Full Board review is initially conducted by the IRB Chair (or a designated Board member) who then presents the pre-reviewed protocol to the Board at a convened meeting. In addition, Board members receive a copy of all relevant protocol materials (synopsis, consent forms, associated recruiting materials, questionnaires, case report forms, etc.) well before the convened meeting in order for them to preview materials for a more efficient use of time at the meeting.

Although not required, it is recommended that investigators contact the North Texas Regional IRB well before submitting a protocol for full Board review. If time is available, administrative staff can provide a “pre-review” of the protocol to identify any issues or concerns that might come up during a Board meeting, especially with complex, unusual or higher risk research projects. Again, this assistance is often helpful to new investigators, or researchers expanding into a new area, but is only effective if enough advance time is provided.

In all cases, whether a project may be thought of as Exempt, Expedited or Full Board category, investigators are advised to contact the North Texas Regional IRB, or consult with the website, for guidance and assistance in developing protocols for submission and review.

This page was last modified on August 27, 2018