PEI Research Ethics Board

The PEI Research Ethics Board (REB) safeguards the rights, safety and well-being of participants in all human subject research involving Health PEI and the Department of Health and Wellness and their patients, staff, resources or data. Research is reviewed to ensure that it is ethically acceptable and scientifically valid and that it follows the ethical guidelines of the Tri-Council Policy Statement "Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans" (TCPS), as well as other ethical guidelines, applicable legislation and regulatory requirements.

What types of studies need to be reviewed by the REB?

Your study must be reviewed and approved by the REB if your research involves:

• human participants;
• biological materials, including materials from deceased individuals;
• patients, staff, resources or data within Health PEI’s jurisdiction;
• engaging in data collection within Health PEI’s jurisdiction that has already received ethical approval from another Research Ethics Board; and/or 
• the secondary use of data that was originally collected from human participants for another purpose.

Quality improvement studies, performance reviews or testing within normal educational requirements are not normally required to be reviewed by the REB, unless they contain an element of research. However, if you wish to publish your study, it should be submitted to the REB for review and approval.

Review and approval by the REB must be obtained prior to the start of any research.

Please note that approval by the REB does not indicate any commitment of personnel, material resources or space of Health PEI or the Department of Health and Wellness for any proposal.

How do I know if my study is considered ‘research’ or is ‘quality improvement’?

The following table can help guide you in understanding if your study is Research or Quality Improvement:

The opinion of the REB should be sought whenever there is any doubt about the appropriateness of a local ethical review for any project.

What are the submission requirements?

Submissions must be complete, with all appropriate documentation as identified on the PEI Research Ethics Management System. All researchers are required to create a user account and complete the mandatory forms.  

For details on submission guidelines and the review process, including whether a study requires full board or expedited review, view the Research Ethics Board General Guidelines [PDF | 61 KB]. Proposals typically considered for expedited review include:

• Studies involving ‘minimal risk’ to participants;
• Extensions of previously approved proposals; and
• New studies which involve only minor modifications to a previously approved proposal.

If you are unsure if your study requires full board review, please contact the Research Ethics office at 902-569-0576.

Note:  Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed. The REB Coordinator reserves the right to defer from review by the REB any submission that is lacking information critical to the deliberations of the Board.

The guidelines and templates listed below are intended to assist researchers in preparing their submissions via the PEI Research Ethics Management System (peireb.synto.com).  The templates should be revised to fit the proposal.

To help prepare a Protocol, view the Research Protocol Guidelines [PDF | 34 KB].

It is ethically and legally necessary to explain the research study and obtain consent from any person prior to participating in a research study. To help prepare a consent form, view the Guidelines for Preparation of a Consent Form [PDF | 78 KB] and the Consent Form Template [PDF | 51 KB].

Once a study has been approved, a researcher must comply with the REB's continuing reporting requirements [PDF | 37 KB]. At a minimum, every researcher must complete an annual report and request for re-approval [PDF | 88 KB]. When a study is completed, a closure form must be submitted to the REB [PDF | 98 KB].

When can I send my proposal for review?

Note: Studies that are eligible for expedited review can be submitted at any time.

How do I contact the PEI Research Ethics Board?

All inquiries should be directed to:

PEI Research Ethics Board
Health PEI
16 Garfield Street
Charlottetown, PE   C1A 7N8

Telephone: (902) 569-0576
Fax: (902) 368-4969
Email: reb@ihis.org