Specialty | Total number of journals | IRB approval required | Ambiguous or no requirement | ||
1995 | 2005 | 1995 | 2005 | ||
Family practice | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Paediatrics | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Surgery | 24 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 4 |
Anaesthesia | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Psychiatry | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Radiology | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Pathology and laboratory medicine | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Nursing | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Medicine | 31 | 16 | 22 | 8 | 6 |
Mixed | 10 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
Miscellaneous | 14 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
This table does not include those journals that made reference to the Declaration of Helsinki, the ICMJE’s Uniform Requirements or informed consent as ethical guidelines.
ICMJE, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.