National Ethical Standards for Health and Disability Research and Quality Improvement

On behalf of the National Ethics Advisory Committee (NEAC) the Chair is pleased to present the revised National Ethical Standards for Health and Disability Research and Quality Improvement (the Standards).

You can view these online at National Ethical Standards.

The Standards update and expand on previous guidelines issued by NEAC in 2012 and bring together the Ethical Guidelines for Observational Studies and the Ethical Guidelines for Intervention Studies into one document, and also aims to cover gaps and new ethical issues that have become apparent since the 2012 Guidelines.

The Standards will help all researchers including new researchers and in-training researchers, foster awareness of ethical principles and enhance more rapid translation of research into clinical practice and health services delivery.

We especially thank all those who made submissions for their valuable input in developing the Standards.