Organizational Research Support and Initial IRB Submission Quality in Postgraduate Surgical Training: A Five-Year Cohort Study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Scholarly activity is a core component of postgraduate surgical training. Yet early research processes particularly Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions can impose substantial procedural and administrative burdens. These barriers may hinder timely engagement in research, especially among trainees. Objective: To evaluate whether the organizational research support delivered by trained research assistants is associated with improved initial IRB submission quality and reduced revision burden in a surgical training environment. Materials and Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted using 356 IRB submissions from the Department of Surgery at a tertiary academic center in Bangkok, Thailand (2019-2023). Submissions were classified as research assistant (RA)-supported or non-supported. The primary outcomes were (1) receiving revision comments and (2) the number of unique revision comments during the initial IRB review cycle. Comments were categorized into administrative, ethical, methodological, and scientific domains. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression were performed, adjusting for investigator level, IRB review type, and year of submission. Results: RA support was used in 324 submissions (91.0%) and 32 (9.0%) proceeded without RA support. RA support was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving revision comments (76.9% vs 93.8%; adjusted OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.82) and fewer comments per submission (median 2 vs 3; adjusted IRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.41-0.64). Reductions were primarily observed in administrative domains (39.8% vs 76.7%, p<0.001), with no significant differences in methodological, ethical, or scientific comments. The time to final approval did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: Organizational research support was associated with improved procedural readiness of IRB submissions, with fewer administrative deficiencies and no change in scientific review outcomes. Effects on scholarly engagement were not assessed and require prospective evaluation.
DOI: 10.2147/amep.s638668
Institutions: Mahidol University, Ramathibodi Hospital
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,320
OpenAlex ID: W7225076776