Research Ethics Review in Humanitarian Contexts: The Experience of the Independent Ethics Review Board of Médecins Sans Frontières

Doris Schopper and colleagues describe the functioning of the Médecins Sans Frontières independent ethics review board and the framework used for ethics review, and discuss challenging ethical issues encountered by the board since its inception

Research ethics governance in times of Ebola.

CAPRISA, 2017.Abstract available in pdf

Innovations in research ethics governance in humanitarian settings.

CAPRISA, 2015.Abstract available in pdf

Médecines complémentaires: vers un consensus "evidence-based" à l'hôpital universitaire. [Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM): towards an "evidence-based" consensus in the University hospital]

Après la votation fédérale demandant de prendre en compte les médecines complémentaires, un consensus a été recherché dans quatorze services et unités du Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV). Confrontés aux données de la littérature (Plus de 2000 publications en "Evidence-based complementary medicine" depuis 1998), les soignants étaient tous surpris par l'ampleur des résultats cliniques disponibles actuellement. Tous identifiaient un besoin en formation et en informations sur le sujet. Une prise de position officielle de l'institution était aussi souhaitée, instituant l'enseignement et la recherche sur les médecines complémentaires et assurant la production d'informations rigoureuses et pertinentes pour la clinique. [Abstract] While a popular vote supported a new article on complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in the Swiss Constitution, this assessment in 14 wards of the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, attempted at answering the question: How can CAM use be better taken into account and patients informed with more rigor and respect for their choices? Confronted with a review of the literature (> 2000 publications in "Evidence-based cornplementary medicine" since 1998), respondents declared their ignorance of the clinical data presently available on CAM. All were in favour of more teaching and information on the subject, plus an official statement from the Hospital direction, ensuring production and diffusion of rigorous and cJinically significant information on CAM

Organizations Involved in Humanitarian Action: Introducing a New Dataset

Although the humanitarian sector has gained prominence in the management of contemporary conflicts, data on the diversity of organizations involved in humanitarian aid are scarce and do not rely on well-founded inclusion criteria. This lack of data limits not only our knowledge of humanitarian action but also our understanding of international security and of non-state actors' role in foreign aid. The Humanitarian Organisations Dataset (HOD) seeks to fill these gaps. Based on clear and reproducible criteria, 2,505 organizations active in the humanitarian sector have been identified while information on their history, nature, activities, and geographical location has been collected. Our analyses depart from prevailing Western-centered accounts of humanitarian, show regional variations in types of organizations, and identify distinct historical patterns by region and by type of organization. They also document a large span of humanitarian activities, going beyond the current exclusive focus on in-kind assistance. We illustrate how the dataset can contribute to further research through its combination with other data and explore the relationship between NGOs and governments in humanitarian aid funding. Beyond its value for scholars, we anticipate that the HOD will also be of interest to policymakers and nonacademic users concerned with humanitarian action and crisis-management issues

Sexual behaviors relevant to HIV transmission in a rural African population : How much can a KAP survey tell us?

KAP surveys have been proposed as a means to gather quantitative information on AIDS-related sexual behaviors, but the validity of survey results has not been tested. The validity of data gathered during a KAP survey in a rural district in Northern Uganda (N = 1486) was examined analyzing expected behavioral patterns, agreement of partner reports, and concordance of number of sexual contacts across gender. Patterns of sexual behavior and age trends are as expected. More men (50%) than women (18.5%) reported premarital sex. The likelihood of sexual intercourse before marriage increases with age at first marriage and with education. Women marry 5 years earlier than men, and the number of marriages increases with age. Peak incidence of casual sex occurs before age 25. The male/female ratio of casual sex is 4, as compared to about 3 in other African surveys. Single men are 2.5 times more likely to engage in casual sex than married males. Agreement of partner reports was examined for 392 couples selected by chance. 86% of the couples agreed on being polygamous or monogamous. On average men reported 1.3 (SD = 0.7) wives as compared to women reporting 1.5 (SD = 0.89) wives (Psexual behavior KAP survey validity AIDS

A Médecins Sans Frontières Ethics Framework for Humanitarian Innovation.

Kiran Jobanputra and colleagues describe an ethics framework to support the ethics oversight of innovation projects in medical humanitarian contexts