Some current discussions center around education for vulnerable populations, institutional tracking procedures, and pediatric informed consent. The Department of Energy is focusing on improving human subject protection with a planned request for proposals to educate vulnerable populations about informed consent and complex genetic trait research. University of California San Diego's Human Subjects Program officials are urging other institutions to create tracking systems for grants and protocols to prevent discrepancies between what investigators say they are doing and what they have IRB approval to do. Pediatric human subject protection presents a unique and difficult set of questions.
Current discussion focuses on determining the point at which a child is able to provide consent.
The FDA's Pediatric Advisory Subcommittee suggests that trials first enroll older children and use younger children, for whom informed consent may be questionable, only when necessary. The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Services is investigating ways to improve reviews of qualitative research proposals. Currently, V-A has two study sections, a main panel and a nursing review panel. Proposals for changes include establishing a separate study section to review qualitative research, broadening the scope of the nursing study section to include review of qualitative research applications, and adding experienced qualitative researchers to the main section. V-A is not alone in its focus on qualitative research.