King Saud bin Abdullaziz University

Medicine and medical research are progressing at a fast pace; thus advancing our existing knowledge. This presents an ongoing challenge for healthcare facilities to ensure that current practice is in line with the most recent trends in healthcare.

Certainly, Year 2004 has been an active year for the Medical and Health Sciences Research Center (MHSRC). Research activities officially started at NGHA in its present structure in November 1994 as a Research Steering Committee.

The task of the Research Committee is to assist actively in providing an environment for optimum clinical, and health sciences research in coordination with the NGHA Hospitals. Clinical, qualitative, applied, and basic research is recognized as essential for the delivery of finest medical care and the continuing process of developing new and better methods in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Acknowledging the fact that the proposal of changing the name to be Medical and Health Sciences Research Center (MHSRC) commenced in 2004.

Moving in the same direction, MHSRC was structured to review all research proposals and make recommendations for amendment and/or approval. In order for this goal to be achieved in the best manner, following the new international research regulations and guideline, and enlightened by the principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP), not only the name was changed, the structure was amended as well. Our aspiration is to provide the most sophisticated service in the most suitable time frame. Therefore, a new major committee was established and named as the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is a 100% committed to the ethics conduct in running all researches in NGHA serving the three most essential principles, which are: respect of person, beneficiary, and justice. The IRB policies and procedures were developed and inspired by the highest available research standards: nationally presented by the Committee of Bio-medical Ethics guidelines (NCBE), internationally represented by Office for Human Research Protection’s guidelines (OHRP), and the general Islamic principles and guidelines.

Furthermore, the MHSRC is establishing sub-committees that will assist help in reaching our goals, like:

Education Sub-Committee:
Is structured to promote a better-educated environment towards research formalities. The sub-committee supervises a very helpful course that covers a very sensitive and needed area in research development which is “An Introduction of Clinical Research” a 2 days activity of lectures and workshops, accredited with 8 CME HRS. Also the sub-committee is planning to provide more advanced courses in 2005.

DNA Bank Sub-Committee:
The DNA Bank Sub-Committee (DBSC) was established to oversee the implementation of the rules and guidelines that assist in ensuring the efficient and effective management operation of the NGHA DNA bank storage materials with their relevant clinical and researchable genetic data to prevent any potential misuse of DNA related information.

Retrospective Study Research Sub-Committee:
Retrospective medical record, chart, or electronic records review means that only information or data already exist at the time of the investigator’s review can be included. This ensures that the research does not affect the diagnosis, treatment, or what is done to the patient, since information is only recorded after it has been obtained.