There are three types of evaluations:
•Exempt: An exempt review should only be requested if the information to be collected already exists and is publicly available or data will be recorded in such a manner that subjects cannot be identified, either directly or indirectly. As data must exist at the time the project is submitted to the IRB, this limits exempt review to retrospective chart reviews. In the majority of cases, chart reviews do not qualify for exempt status because most investigators need to retain identifiers at least through the data collection process. Even if an investigator plans to eventually discard all identifiers once data collection is complete, this is not sufficient for the project to qualify for exempt review.
•Expedited: Expedited review can be granted for retrospective and prospective chart reviews when the research involves materials (data, documents, records, or specimens) that have been collected or will be collected solely for non-research purposes (such as medical treatment or diagnosis). Most chart reviews fall into this category.
•Full Board: While rare, full board reviews may be required for both retrospective and prospective chart reviews. Some circumstances under which this occurs is if the investigator plans to collect sensitive data or if the chart review results in a change in care for the patients whose data is being collected.