The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is currently inviting submissions to comment on recently released draft guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. When finalised, the draft guidelines will replace the existing NHMRC Guidelines on ethical matters in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research (1991).
Much has changed since the development of the 1991 Guidelines. New collaborative partnerships involving research institutes and the community, including the Indigenous community controlled health sector have emerged. There are now more Indigenous researchers and the level of interest in research as a way to contribute to the health of Indigenous peoples has grown.
In recent years, NHMRC has received strong feedback that Indigenous communities, researchers and health organisations see a clear need for a separate complementary set of guidelines covering research in Indigenous health. The feedback has urged the NHMRC to review and update the 1991 Guidelines. The NHMRC has responded by undertaking a three-year review of the guidelines. The three year term comes to an end in mid-2003.
The consultation paper for revision of the NHMRC’s Guidelines on ethical matters in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research (1991) was released on 13 November 2002. Titled Values and ethics in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research [1], the paper is different in its approach to the 1991 Guidelines, as the draft guidelines are written around a framework of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and principles.
The paper starts with a broad description of the present context in which research in Indigenous health occurs, and on that basis the paper describes the philosophical foundation of the approach taken to the guidelines. Finally the paper addresses the guidelines themselves – presenting the important considerations and processes that researchers, communities and health research ethics committees should address.
Public consultation on the draft guidelines will run until the beginning of January 2003. The draft will then be reviewed and revised in the light of the submissions received and the document recommended for endorsement by the NHMRC.
The draft consultation paper is available from the NHMRC website.
For detailed information regarding the call for submissions see the following documents:
- Newspaper advertisement (PDF – 13KB)
- Procedures for making submissions to the NHMRC (PDF – 54KB)
References
1. National Health and Medical Research Council (2002) Values and ethics in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research [consultation draft]. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.
Excerpts from ‘Values and ethics in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research [consultation draft]’ reproduced with the permission of Sharon Hill, Assistant Director, Health Ethics Section, NHMRC.
