Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, HRB chief executive
Health Research Board welcomes update to personal data guidelines
The Health Research Board (HRB) has welcomed an update to regulations governing the collection of personal information for health research purposes.
The Health Research Regulations (HRR) were introduced in 2018 in response to the European-wide General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to protect the rights and freedoms of research participants.
The recent amendments covered pre-screening to establish suitability or eligibility for inclusion in health research; carrying out low risk retrospective chart reviews; deferred consent in exceptional medical situations; and new rules on consent generally.
Dr Mairead O’Driscoll, Chief Executive at the Health Research Board, said that the amendments were “important and pragmatic changes to the Health Research Regulations in response to matters raised by the research community”.
Minister for Health amends Health Research Regulations on personal information
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, today made significant amendments to the Health Research Regulation 2018. Those Regulations provide the legal framework that governs the collection, use and sharing of an individual’s personal information for health research purposes.
The amendments deal with the following main areas: pre-screening to establish suitability or eligibility for inclusion in health research; carrying out low risk retrospective chart reviews; deferred consent in exceptional medical situations and new rules on consent generally.
The Minister said: Ultimately, the success of health research in Ireland as in any country is dependent upon public support for research. Any person using our health services rightly feels that his or her medical information is respected and safeguarded. That is why the purpose of the amendments is to facilitate health research and