Purpose of IRBs in Colleges and Hospitals?

This might seem random, but I've noticed that it's pretty common for colleges and hospitals to have something called an IRB. I know it stands for Institutional Review Board, but can anyone explain what these boards do and reasons behind their existence in these institutions?

The primary purpose of Institutional Review Boards, or IRBs, is to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research activities. Created as a response to historical abuses in research, such as the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, IRBs review, approve, and monitor research involving human participants to ensure the studies are ethically conducted.

In hospitals and colleges, these boards make sure any research —including investigations involving patients for new medical treatments, or social science studies involving students— follows stringent ethical guidelines. This can mean everything from ensuring that participants are properly consented and aware of their rights, to figuring out whether any potential harm or discomfort to participants is minimized and justifiable given the potential benefits of the research.

For example, a college or university's IRB would review a study where professors might be wanting to interview students about their study habits to understand how different techniques affect academic performance. They will evaluate the study design, assess how the students' anonymity is being protected, if the information gathered is stored securely, and if the participants understand what the research is about before they agree to take part in it.

Essentially, the IRB is a safeguard to ensure any human subject research adheres to ethical standards and respects the rights and well-being of participants above all.