The IMPROVIing StrokE care in India programme aimed to investigate the feasibility of introducing three packages of care (swallowing and hydration, early neurological deterioration, and patient and unpaid caregiver education post-stroke) in three major stroke centres in India, all of which had extensive research experience and were members of the INdian STRoke Clinical Trial Network. The INdian STRoke Clinical Trial is a strategic initiative, which is overseen by the Indian Council of Medical Research and funded by the Government of India to enable the development of stroke research capability and engagement in India. Within IMPROVIing StrokE care in India, multiple applications for ethical review were made across multiple organisations. This complex process inspired the project team to map current ethical review processes, identify challenges, enablers and explore the feasibility of establishing a streamlined multicentre ethics approval process for stroke research within the INdian STRoke Clinical Trial Network.
