Review Question - QID 213157

A team of orthopedic residents is formulating new research ideas. They are organizing their proposed studies into those that would require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and those that would not. Of the following studies, which would NOT require IRB review?

Study 1: A retrospective case-control study evaluating radiographic outcomes for patients with distal radius fractures treated operatively using a database with medical record numbers as the only patient identifier.

Study 2: An internal prospective study evaluating the effect on their hospital’s efficiency when one surgeon is given two operating theaters for a single operative day versus the same surgeon using only one operating theater on two consecutive operative days.

Study 3: A prospective study investigating the cost-benefit ratio with the use of a novel walking aid versus a traditional aid in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy.

Study 4: An internal retrospective study using their institutional database with name, date of birth, and medical record number of patients to evaluate causes of preoperative delays in order to improve efficiency.