Rejection

Went to the NHS Research Ethics Committee meeting yesterday. The venue was King's Mill Hospital in Mansfield. Patrick went with me, and he proved to be a moral as well as decision support. 

The meeting was supposed to start at 5.50. When we arrived, the committee was going through its agenda, and we were to be the first application reviewed that evening. Substantial time elapsed, filled with sipping a cup of cafe latte, before we were called in. The room had one big table, and the committee members sat around it. There were about 10 of them. Patrick and I completed the rectangular seating arrangement. 

The questioning (which felt a bit like grilling) was over in 10 minutes. I had a feeling that some of the members did not go through my proposal in sufficient details. When it was over, we waited outside while the committee have further discussion.

The chairman came out a few minutes later, bearing a bad news. The committee could not agree with the way I'm seeking patient's informed consent. The application is rejected, and I would have to provide amendments, modification, and what nots to be reviewed by the same committee again. 

My heart sank. 

Then, I slowly raise my heart up again, reminding myself that I've got one big acceptance only one day before (the poem in Mingguan Malaysia). Furthermore, I can modify my study to remove the need to get patient's consent for observing the ECPs. In addition, I have some data that I can work on. I also prime the data collection process while waiting the ethics to get through. 

Hopefully it will work out beautifully.