Hong Kong Baptist Hospital reckons the importance of clinical research to the practice of evidence-based medicine and to the improvement in clinical care. The involvement of patients in various aspects of our care delivery is highly valued and the involvement of patients in researches that are conducted in the Hospital is also encouraged.

With a short history of engagement in research, our current activities cannot be described as robust, but we aim, over a longer time frame, to develop a culture of improving our service quality on the basis of evidence attained through clinical researches as well as the other methods of quality improvement, such as Continuous Quality Improvement programs and clinical audits. Moreover, the recent recruitment of a statistician provides a great support to the research activities.

With the approval from our Board, Clinical and Research Ethic Committee (CREC) was established in November 2007 with accountability to the Hospital Management Committee. CREC comprise Director of Medical Service, Resident Medical Officer and Chief of Nursing Officer at administrative level, Pharmacist, Medical Technologist in-charge, Quality and Safety Manager, Chaplain and Clinical Audit Manager, as well as external members from the community.

1.	To provide input into hospital policies and guidelines on medical-ethical aspects of patient care.
2.	To facilitate ethics education for staff.
3.	To provide ethic advice to clinicians and management on individual cases.
4.	To endorse and monitor the progress of the research in the hospital.
5.	To provide a discussion forum among the Hospital, medical professions and the others on medical-ethical issues.
6.	To invite individuals with competence in special areas to assist in the ethical review process.
7.	To educate staff, patients and their families on issues in medical ethics, and to suggest policies related to clinical care.

Underpinning a strategic emphasis on the evidence-based learning and practice, the CREC is oriented strongly towards developing, enhancing, granting recognition and disseminating research findings of the hospital research projects. The goal is to assist staff in achieving their professional development through research projects that are conducted in an ethical manner. Apart from this, we also give priority to safeguard the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of the participants. The overall strategy is thus to monitor the progress, the quality of research projects and the continous development of a research culture while ensuring that the research resources are used effectively.

Ethic review panel comprises six CREC members who are capable of and experienced in evaluating the scientific, medical and ethical aspects of the research proposal. The Panel is responsible for review of research application and proposal.

Team Review Panel:

	Chairperson
	3 internal CREC members
	2 external CREC members

In 2008, HKBH participated in the study entitled "How can we prevent the spread of influenza in the community" conducted by Professor Benjamin J. Cowling, School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong. This paper was published in 2009 American College of Physicians.

For more details, please contact the Quality & Safety Department at 2339 8097.