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	Research with Vulnerable Populations	Processo di Richiesta al Comitato Etico
Campo	Etica della ricerca	Etica della ricerca
Famiglia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Anno di origine	1979	1991
Ideatore	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; World Health Organization; International research ethics community	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; International research oversight organizations
Tipo	Guideline	Guideline
Fonte seminale	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Protection of Human Subjects. Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Part 46, Subparts B, C, D.	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Protection of Human Subjects. Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Part 46, Section 46.109.
Alias	vulnerable subjects, special populations, vulnerable groups, additional protections	IRB application, REC application, ethics approval, protocol submission
Correlati	5	5
Sintesi	Vulnerable populations are groups with limited capacity to protect themselves due to age, cognitive ability, institutional dependency, or social circumstances. Regulatory frameworks in the U.S. (45 CFR 46 Subparts B, C, D) and internationally identify specific vulnerable populations—children, prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals—and mandate additional ethical protections beyond standard informed consent. These protections include obtaining informed consent from surrogate decision-makers (parents, guardians), additional assurances of minimal risk, and enhanced monitoring for safety. Research ethics committees apply heightened scrutiny to studies involving vulnerable populations and may deny approval if special protections are inadequate.	Submitting a research protocol to an ethics committee (IRB, REC, or equivalent) is a mandatory procedural gateway in human subjects research. The application process requires researchers to document their study design, justify scientific rationale, disclose risks and benefits, provide participant protections (informed consent forms), and address ethical considerations. The submission includes a completed ethics application form, protocol document, consent forms, researcher CVs, and evidence of institutional support. This standardized process enables ethics committees to conduct rigorous, timely, and consistent review before research commences.