Monash University – Infonetica

The Challenge

Monash University, Australia, process around 1,600 new human ethics applications, along with 400 animal and 150 Genetech applications a year. Before using Ethics RM, applications were paper-based. A combination of Excel, Research Master and HP Records Manager was used to capture data and file applications. Hard copy agendas were posted to reviewers.

As a result, they faced the following challenges:

A huge amount of confidential waste was produced.
Non-web-based applications were difficult to access when not in the office.
Data had to be entered twice, leading to frequent errors.
New staff required extensive training.
Reporting was time-consuming.
Reminders were hard to set up, meaning researchers often missed their reporting deadlines.
Access to data was restricted to a small group of people.

The solution – Ethics RM

The intuitive nature of Ethics RM allowed the administrative team to design the form and workflow, without additional staff training. After a smooth implementation of the software, the Monash team were able to submit and review applications easily while retaining control over the editing of forms.

“The Ethics RM interface is so simple that the administrative team supporting the committees can make all the necessary changes with no IT-specific skills.” – Simon Barrett – Research Ethics and Compliance Manager, Monash University

The outcome

“Thanks to Ethics RM, the submission and review process is now so much quicker and easier. Applicants no longer need to contact the office to gain copies of their applications and approval certificates – so there’s no more photocopying and posting documents out to reviewers. Crucially, we have freed up staff resources by eliminating data entry. Now, we can provide a real ‘value add’ service to support our researchers in meeting their regulatory obligations. – Simon Barrett – Research Ethics and Compliance Manager, Monash University