To clarify the Comment bubble function on the Status Summary tab, the button “Post” is now changed to “Save” when saving a comment. Descriptive text is also added in the Comment bubble dialog:
“Log and share internal notes with the Reviewing IRB Liaisons and Study Managers. No notifications are sent when a comment is posted.”
The “Time to upload Continuing Review to IREx” email, sent to the sIRB and Study Manager, now includes updated guidance on uploading a study closure if the study is no longer active.
Users accessing the ‘Find other sites’ page and ‘Agreement checker’ can now search a site by FWA number in addition to the site name.
Previously, sites can only be closed on a study if the site has approval on the current version. The sIRB and Study Managers will now have the [+ Add Site Closure] option for sites that have received initial approval, even if they are not approved on the current study version. The Sites Closed page will list the version that the site had their last approval.
If a study is minimal risk, regardless of whether the submission type was Full or Expedited, the sIRB and Study Manager are not required to upload a consent document for the overall study approval and for relying site approvals. The waiver box does not have to be checked.
A Combo Site occurs when one study team engages multiple Federalwide Assurances (FWAs) for a given study. Because sIRBs often review and approve Combo Sites separately – so as not to delay study activation at one site – IREx has added new flexibility for Combo Sites.
Most importantly, sites in a Combo can now be reviewed and approved by the sIRB separately. To facilitate sites being reviewed by the sIRB as quickly as possible, the notification that local considerations have been completed for a site in a Combo is now sent to Study Managers and sIRBs instantly, rather than requiring all sites be complete. Additionally, after a site is reviewed and approved by the sIRB, the site’s approval can be posted to IREx instantly, rather than requiring all sites in the Combo to have approval before the documents can be posted. Given that combo sites may have separate consent forms or receive approval at separate times, combo site approvals are posted for each FWA/site, like the other sites on the study.
New fields have been added to data exports for sIRBs and Relying Site HRPPs. The new field for Lead Site Initial Approval (dateInitialReviewApproved) can be used to analyze study progress, such as time from Lead Site Initial Approval to Relying Site Approval. Study Manager (studyManager) and Expiration Date (studyExpirationDate) fields may help with managing contacts and anticipating study events, respectively. Download and save csv exports using the “Export” dropdown on the top righthand side of both Reviewing Site’s Studies and Participating Site’s Studies dashboards.
All emails for studies that are part of the Trial Innovation Network (TIN) now include the sentence “This study is part of the TIN” for added clarity and searchability.
A Study Manager or sIRB can delete an erroneous Site Amendment by clicking on Remove Site Amendment on the Site-specific IRB Approvals tab and confirming the removal. The confirmation pop-up has been updated to inform the user that sites will not be notified when the Site Amendment is deleted.
sIRBs and Study Managers can now close sites on studies. A reason or reasons for closure, date of closure, and determination letter are required to post a site closure. Closing a site sends a notification to the site’s HRPP and study team members and archives all past approvals so that no documents can be downloaded. Participating sites continue to have access to site closure documentation for 30 days after a site closure is submitted, after which the site cannot access the study in IREx. A listing of closed sites is available to sIRBs and Study managers on the Status Summary tab. For further information, see the Site Closure Quick Guide.
