Low and Negligible Risk

Low and Negligible Risk

Clinical Case Reports

A SCHN Clinical Case Report (CCR) application is to be submitted via email from an organisational email address to the Research Ethics Office if you are:

  • Conducting a retrospective review/case study of less than 10 patient records resulting in the potential for individual identification with publication.

Please note that consent will need to be obtained from the families for the patients’ records which are to be accessed.

The National Statement provides a broad definition of Low and Negligible Risk (LNR) research as:

  • Negligible risk - any foreseeable risks is no more than inconvenience (e.g. short non-personal surveys).
  • Low risk - only foreseeable risk are one of discomfort (e.g. non-invasive medical assessments or anxiety as result of interview/survey)

It is important to know that interviews/surveys may be considered as Greater than Low Risk (GLR) depending on the targeted population group or the content of the surveys/interviews.

If clarification is required by researchers regarding which level of risk their study would be classified as, it is strongly encouraged to consult with the Research Ethics Office regarding the level of risk in their projects before they begin preparing their applications.

Quality improvement projects

Quality Improvement (QI) projects can only be undertaken by SCHN staff and do not require approval from SCHN HREC.

The SCHN Clinical Governance Unit manages the review and approval of QIs. Please see our Intranet page for more information or email the Clinical Governance Unit Quality team.

Submission resources

Submission closing dates

Please note that Monday, 19 November is the last submission closing date for 2024.