Human research studies conducted at The Johns Hopkins Hospital that require the use of nursing time and effort that are incremental to the usual or routine standard of care, shall be reviewed and approved by the Director of Nursing (DON) for the involved Functional Unit(s). The Principal Investigator (PI) shall complete a request for Approval of Research Involving Nursing or Nursing Resources form. Before submitting the form, the PI should speak with the appropriate DON or nursing leader. If more than one Functional Unit is included in the study, the PI should contact the leadership on each unit.

The DON will assess and determine if and how nurses' participation may impact the delivery of safe and appropriate care.  This assessment will include a dialogue with the PI, and any involved managers, staff, or other disciplines as appropriate. 

 After speaking with nursing leadership, submit the online application  and upload a protocol using the online form linked above.  The Department of Nursing Nurse Scientist will review the Approval of Research Involving Nursing or Nursing Resources form and notify the applicant of issues that require resolution before approval. When the initial review is complete, the Nurse Scientist will contact the DON(s) and any other members of nursing leadership required and obtain their signature(s). Once all signatures are obtained, the Nurse Scientist will email a PDF of the completed form to the PI.PIe. Please allow sufficient time to complete the process. We recommend researchers allow for a few weeks for process completion. 

Note: It is important to keep several considerations in mind when planning for and seeking approval for a research study.

• Contact the key individuals in the approval process early in the planning of the project to develop a realistic time frame.
• Various research consultants are available within the Hospital and the University. The Administrative Coordinator ([email protected]) can assist you with referrals to the appropriate individuals if needed.
• This policy is intended for the conduct of research, and is not intended for clinical performance improvement activity.
• Contact the Center for Nursing Inquiry, ([email protected]) or Nurse Scientist ([email protected]) if you have questions.